Dark Storms, Volume One: Edge of the Knife
by dreamersrequiem
Summary: Melinda discovers that she is not as different as she thought; due to unfortunate circumstances, however, she is thrown into a world where she must discover to walk in the shadows between what she feels is good and what she feels is bad.
1. Prologue

Between the ages of four and sixteen, in the United Kingdom anyway, a child will attend school. It is compulsory, though who knows how many of them actually learn anything. Still, some will go onto Sixth Form, University, good jobs and good careers (or bypass one or both of these and still attain a good life), and those must learn so much. In those twelve years, a lot of information is pumped into the brain, some of it retained and remembered for a lifetime, some slips out as soon as the foot steps out of the classroom.

Like all children I attended school, and as it turned out my brain was a master at storing information. But one of the things I learnt very early on, a lesson more valuable to me than how to add or subtract, was that children can be very cruel, if there is even a hint that you are different.

I never knew exactly why I was different, after all I was not the only orphan at my school, even in my class there was three of us from the same home. Still, they picked up on something none of us could identify, and I was never really accepted into the small group of friends that formed throughout my school years.

Quickly I learnt to live on my own – when I was seven; I felt that I did not need friends.

Maybe not the healthiest accent for a child so young, but there was nothing I could do. No one wanted to befriend me, so I lived without, and I was not bothered by this. Well, not constantly. There were times when I would have to bury my head in my pillow at the orphanage because some girl in my class was having a birthday party and had invited everyone else, or because I had not been allowed to join in with a game of football. But these times were few and far between.

Like most lonely children, I sought comfort in the pages of books. The characters contained inside these pages were my friends, though of course if I ever needed advice or someone to talk to; they were not the ones who would respond. So any problems I had I kept bottled up inside, I kept them to myself.

Coming up to Christmas, when I was eleven, I was pulled into the office of Julia, a young woman who had been working at the Orphanage for almost a year. She looked up and smiled gently when I entered, gesturing to the large comfortable chair in front of her desk. Slowly, I lowered myself into it.

"Melinda, is it?" She asked, checking the sheets of paper in front of her, before her eyes flickered towards my face. "How are you today?"

"Fine." I muttered, wondering what this meeting was for. Julia was the woman who dealt with the 'welfare' of the children, and I had, so far, had no dealings with her.

She leant forward slightly, studying me with her chocolate eyes. "Are you sure?" She questioned, pen posed above a piece of paper, ready to make notes. "Are you happy, Melinda?"

"Yes." I replied coldly, watching as she made a note on her pad.

"Well, you don't seem to make much of an effort with the other children. You like reading, correct?"

"Yes." I decided to ignore the first part of the sentence, as she nodded slowly.

"I see...why don't you play with the other children?"

"They don't like me."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"They think I'm odd."

"And why would they think that?"

"I don't know."

"Perhaps it would be best if you made an effort. You have been here a long time Melinda."

A long time...longer than most children. Usually kids moved on within a year, in rare cases it could take a year and a half. I had been there for five years, I had seen children come and go, adopted by happy families who would love and cherish them. It was another reason the kids avoided me, because obviously there must be something wrong if no one wanted me.

"You need to try with the parents who come in, too."

I knew exactly what she meant; they were fed up of having me there. Whenever 'prospective parents' came to the Orphanage, I would bury my head in a book, sit in a corner while the others played games the wardens encouraged them to play, games that would emphasise how cute they were, that would make the adults consider adopting them.

I had a very good reason for ignoring those who came in; part of my brain felt sure that eventually, some long lost relative would come for me and take me away. I wanted someone I was linked to by blood, not some random stranger who had no idea of my family past.

I knew my mother had an aunt and cousins in America, somewhere in the United States I had family who, I was sure, if they knew my predicament (though a rational adult mind would reason that they hadn't heard or cared in five years) then they would hop on a plane, come here and get me, taking me to a different, new life.

I just had to be patient, as patient as I had been for the years since my parent's death.

After a few more words, and her request that I come to her if I was upset or worried or just needed to talk, I was dismissed. Two months later, to my surprise, I was being escorted from the Orphanage grounds, and was heading to a new life. All because I was different.

It started when the Orphanage had a visit from a business couple, interested in putting money into the home for parentless children. With them, they brought their daughter, and we were encouraged to act as we would on a normal 'adoption day'. I sat to one side, half watching other kids playing games while, once more, I dig out one of my favourite books and fell into the life held inside, disappearing from the life I had.

I paid no heed to the couple and their child until my hands suddenly went freezing cold.

My eyes strayed to my fingers, to see sheen of white ice covering the tips. The book fell to the floor, and I felt a pair of eyes staring intently at me. I lifted my gaze to see the dark brown eyes of the girl watching me with curiosity.

Scared she had seen something – I didn't need to give anyone any more reason to dislike me – I leapt from my seat and moved quickly towards the toilets.

Once inside, I ran my hands under the hot water tap. They didn't warm. I moved my hand, hovering my palm over a patch of water on the counter. From the centre outwards, the water began to freeze, an ice patch appearing there.

"You're different."

I whirled around at the voice, soft with a slight Japanese accent, to see the daughter of the couple standing in the doorway, staring at me with those deep brown eyes. Her face was not accusing or damning, instead it was thoughtful and curious.

"No I'm not." I insisted; fear spreading through me like the ice I had created.

"It's OK." She whispered, stepping forward. "I am, too." With that, she held her hand up, and I gasped to realise it was encased in ice.

"Leave me alone!" I cried, darting past her and out into the corridor, breaking into a run and heading for my bedroom, tears streaming down my face.

I had no idea what any of it meant, and the whole thing terrified me. It was confirmation that I was different, that there was a reason why other children avoided me. I locked myself in my room, proclaiming illness to avoid school. My twelfth birthday came and went with no recognition from anyone, and a few days later I was once more called into Julia's office.

Slowly I knocked on the door, listened until she called 'come in', and pushed the door open. I slid into the room, glancing at the other woman sitting opposite Julia. She was very pretty, with blonde hair pulled back and leaving a few curly strands to frame her face. Both women directed smiles towards me, though the stranger's was much more real.

"This is Marie Dust." Julia explained, throwing a hand towards the younger woman as I took a seat. "She comes from a school."

"A boarding school." Marie's gentle smile, for some reason, made me feel warm. "Where you can stay all year round, if you like."

"Leave here?" I asked, keeping my excitement at the prospect under control.

"You don't have to." Marie insisted. "If you do not wish to leave your friends or home..."

"I have no friends." I replied, allowing my eyes to flick briefly to Julia. She looked almost shocked at this, and opened her mouth to speak.

"Why Melinda?" She asked. "We have a lot of children here who have scored higher in academic and sporting terms."

Marie chuckled. "We believe she would be an asset to the school, and her grandparents were very good friends with the Headmaster. He expressed an interest in seeing how Melinda was, and offering her a place at the school if we were able to."

"You tracked me down?" I bit back a smile.

"Yes." She nodded slowly. "We did."

"I want to go." I kept my eyes locked on Miss Dust.

"Good." She stood up. "We'll pick you up this time tomorrow, is that OK?" She glanced at Julia, who gave a quick frown.

"Of course."

"Thank you." She bowed her head slightly before departing from the room.

That evening I packed the few belongings I owned, and fell into a disturbed sleep. How could I drift off when I was this excited? I was agitated the next day, waiting for Miss Dust to return. Fear spread through me as I wondered if it had all been an elaborate joke; eventually, with twenty minutes until her supposed arrival time, I had convinced myself that I would not be leaving the Orphanage and that Miss Dust was not returning for me.

Then, as I was about to return to my bedroom and unpack my tiny bag, I heard a cry from the window. One of the older children was pointing to a dark blue Mercedes and I couldn't hold back my smile as Miss Dust stepped elegantly out of the car.

She spotted me through the window and raised a hand in a wave. The other children gasped when they saw me waving back.

"Whoa." One young girl stared wide eyed at the pretty woman walking towards the door. "Is that your new mum?"

"My new teacher." I explained proudly, stepping back and gathering my suitcase. Soon, I was sitting in the back of the car with Marie Dust, as she told me what this new school really was about. I couldn't help but laugh when she finished, having picked up on the words 'special' and 'unique'. "I'm not special." I told her. "Not in any way, especially the way you described."

She chuckled, a sweet soft sound as she reached forward and took my hand. "You created ice, did you not?" She tilted her head to one side, blue eyes twinkling. She carried on talking then, describing in detail when I had first arrived at the Orphanage, how I had stolen sweets off a child, my insecurities about being different and my desire to be normal. "I know what it's like Melinda." She lifted her hand and placed it on my shoulder, as she did so something inside me snapped.

Tears fell down my face as I began to talk. "Yeah, sure you do, with your middle class life, loving parents and oh so sweet boyfriend. None of them care that you can read minds, do they? They've never treated you as different. It's not like your parents died when you were six; Nick and Rachel never left your side! They found the school for you to attend, they helped you develop whatever you call this, and you think you know what it's like to see your parents die and know there is something different about you and know there is something there but you just can't see the reason why other kids avoid you?"

Her hand dropped from my shoulder, her eyes wide and mouth open, gaping in amazement. "Melinda, how did you know all that?" She asked, staring openly at me.

Again that deep seated feeling of fear, horror sitting in my stomach like a stone. I had seen it all; everything had been in my head, like an image from a television. I shrank backwards, gasping for breath as if I'd swam the Bristol Channel. "I don't know." I sobbed, falling into her as she reached out and wrapped me in her arms.

* * *

A/N: I decided to re-write Dark Storms, and this is the new version. Mostly, it follows the same storyline, but personally I think the writing is a little bit better. Would be great to hear what anyone thinks, whether or not you read the original version. Also, I'm always open to ideas/suggestions, and welcome any criticism. It all helps. Think my portrayal of characters from the show is wrong? (When they turn up later on). Then let me know!  
Thanks.


	2. Chapter 1

No one at the school was alone in trying to deal with their abilities; some had known they were different from a young age; others were just exploring their own skills. Abilities were duplicated, and most children knew one or two others in the school who could do what they could do. For every ability, there was someone who could look after 'new comers' and guide them in learning their skills.

There was one exception to that.

As soon as I stepped onto the grounds of the school, something came over me. Fire shot in spurts from my hands, thoughts struggled to crowd into my head. My body went numb, my hair grew, then shortened, then grew once more as I realised I was hovering above the ground. I began to cry, scared and terrified as I was, as Miss Dust reached up and held onto me. I fell into her, as things became too much and I blacked out.

When I came to, I was in a room at the top of the school, a large room for unskilled 'Evolutionary Advanced Human Beings', or EA for short, as I would learn, to practice and train and hone in on their skills without hurting anyone.

Slowly, gradually, Miss Dust introduced me to the schools other students. They brought in small group by small group, allowing me to absorb their powers in small blocks and have a bit of practice with them before getting a new 'set'. Miss Dust studied what happened intently, with a desire to know how my power worked. After a few days, she led me out of the room, and soon after I made my first real friends.

There was a lot I owed to Rin and her parents; the family who had come to the Orphanage, the girl who had technically given me my first glimpse at my ability. Like many of the others there, Rin attended the school but often visited her parents on weekends and holidays. She was cool and calm, even tempered and it had been she, along with her parents (who often had me over for Sunday lunch) who had informed Miss Dust of the presence of an EA at the Orphanage.

So I owed a lot to Rin. Of course, I also owed Miss Dust.

During my time here, she had managed to get a PhD in Genetics. Dr Dust had been there to look after and guide me, she had been at my bedside when I'd come down with a nasty flu. She had held me on the anniversary of my parents' death, as I cried myself to sleep.

She was not like a parent, more like an older sibling, and I was thankful to have someone like that in my life.

As well as those two, there was Becky, my roommate, and our two male friends, Sam and Eddy. We gelled together perfectly, despite the huge differences in personalities. Technically, Sam, Eddy and Rin had graduated the year before, but like many students they had decided to stay on and help with younger kids coming to the school. Now, we were discussing what we were going to do for mine and Becky's 18th birthdays, both of which were coming up at the end of March. That summer, the pair of us were due to graduate, and we had already discussed moving to a city somewhere – Manchester, Cardiff, London, Liverpool, anywhere would do – getting flats together and jobs and living somewhat normal lives.

Eddy was a complete contrast to Rin's cool demure. The term fire and ice could be applied, literally, to those two. They made a great couple. Eddy's flaming red hair – not ginger, it was crimson red – was a contrast to Rin's dark locks. Whereas she could keep her head in almost any situation, Eddy was quick to temper and hot headed. But Rin was always there to cool him down. Especially when he got too worked up, and ended up with flames sparking at his fingertips.

Eddy and Sam made a great comedy duo, and it was rare for us not to be laughing at them when we were hanging out. Sam was lanky, towering over us all, with light brown hair that fell over his forehead and often into his bright hazel eyes. Mix his humour with good looks and impeccable fashion taste, add in a sexy Irish accent and you had the main desire for every girl in the school, including Becky.

In all honesty, his power did not help the girls falling at his feet matters either; after all, what was sexier than the idea of being whisked away, flying above the ground in the arms of a good looking guy, much like Louis Lane and Superman?

He had dated a few of the girls in school, and I was unable to count the amount of times I'd sat up with Becky, offering comfort, chocolate and chick flicks, telling her that he would come around eventually. He had to – they'd been dancing around each other for so long. She'd pressed me for details when, as a favour, I had been his 'date' for a party his rich parents were throwing. We'd had a good time, but the truth was, there was nothing even remotely romantic between us; he was like a brother to me, and although we had tried a goodnight kiss, it had been weird and awkward.

It was a surprise that we'd gone through so long together, and still Sam and Becky had failed to get their act together. Becky was kind, sweet and shy, a personality that perfectly matched her angelic blonde hair and bright blue eyes. But she also had a cheeky, mischievous side – she often helped Sam and Eddy with their pranks, aiding them with her super-speed. She was the youngest of the four of us, but if any of us had a problem or needed help, when younger students wanted to talk to someone who wasn't a teacher, it would be Becky they, and us, would turn to. She was always willing to make a cup of tea, have a sit down and a chat.

Shortly before Christmas, I had confided in Becky how alone I felt, how down I got about the fact that there was no one else out there like me. Everyone else had people who could explain their powers, the full extent of them, who could guide them in exploring their limits. She turned to me, told me I was being stupid and that I was not alone.

"You've got us, and I bet there is someone out there with the same power. You just have to give it time. For now, just be glad you're the only one who can pull off an effective Rogue at parties."

One of the best powers to have as a teenage girl was the ability to alter basic parts of your experience. I had discovered early on that I could only pick up on aspects that the original user themselves could use; if, as I had seen, a telepathic kid could only read minds, then that's all I could do. If I met them at a later stage, and they had since learnt to make objects hover in the air, then I could pick that up, too.

There were a few morphs at the school, but so far all they could was alter appearance slightly. Dr Dust had informed me that, when older, they may be able to change greater aspects or, as she had witnessed herself years ago, alter their bone structure and even, in very rare cases, shift their full body into that of an animal.

So I never had spots, I could have my hair any style I wanted it, and, well, a belly for me was never a problem. Not that I did not keep myself healthy; I went for bike rides with Sam and Eddy, I was often in the school's basement gym with Becky and Rin. Not long ago, I had decided to keep my hair short, never more than chin length, changing the colour when I got bored of it. Today, I had opted for blue-black hair and dark, dark blue eyes.

"Melinda?"

I half turned from my seat on the sofa, between Becky and Sam, to see a student a few years younger than us, standing and looking terrified. I gave her a soft smile.

"Yeah?"

"Dr Dust asked to see you."

"OK, thanks."

She darted away, and from the armchair I heard Eddy laugh. "Stupid kids; scared of everything."

"Stupid boy." Rin slapped him playfully on the arm. "It doesn't help when you do that."

"Not again." I stood up, sending a glance at Eddy. He looked pretty happy with himself, and I knew what he'd done. As soon as he'd seen her, he would have held a ball of fire in his hand. He loved scaring the younger ones. "You should be helping them Ed." I scolded, before leaving them to carrying on discussions about the upcoming birthdays.

As I wondered down the corridor, memories of my first trip here came flooding back. I had taken the first steps down this hallway with Dr Dust at my side, smiling as I gasped when a boy stepped through a wall and crossed in front of us. Although I had already 'absorbed' most of the powers, seeing others using them was still strange and unreal to me. Still, already, having spent a week here, the normality of the Orphanage was being stripped away. Arguments I had witness at my old home seemed so boring, so normal; after all what interest was there now in the idea of seeing two children argue over a toy when I'd seen someone here settle things by simply commanding the toy to come to them?

Despite the fact that seeing others use their abilities had now become normal for me, I still got a shock of excitement at someone demonstrating what they could do. My first few weeks here had been strange, intense and amazing, and some of the little girl who had stared in wide eyed wonder was still inside me.

I stopped outside the office door, slowly raising my hand to knock. Inside my head I heard Dr Dust's

familiar, reassuring voice. i_"Come inside Melinda."/i_

I stepped into the office that in the course of my life here, I had come to know and love. My eyes scanned quickly towards the comfy armchair and the bookshelf beside it, looking out for any new addition to the five shelves. The first two rows were covered in academic and scientific books on DNA and genetics, discussing evolution and physics theories. The third and fourth shelves contained novels, Dr Dust's own private library of romance and adventure, science-fiction and horror. All of which her students were welcome to read at any time. On the bottom shelf were stacks of comics, and here lay the favourites of most of us, for the comics contained stories of the X-Men, Captain America, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. Tales of heroes with powers not dissimilar to our own. She used them to show weary students how their favourite characters coped with their own powers; fiction, she explained once to me before, is a way of coping with real life. What better for a school full of EAs than comics whose stars were 'mutants'?

It wasn't only the classics she kept; Dr Dust was always on the lookout for any new comics she could add to the growing collection. Sam had recently returned from America with an issue of a comic called 9th Wonders, by an artist called Isaac Mendez, and thanks to the wonders of eBay, we now had most copies of the comic available for us to read.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked, sliding into the comfy chair opposite Dr Dust. My eyes flickered up to the large print of Helwein's Boulevard of Broken Dreams that hung behind my mentor and tutor.

She smiled softly at me; I loved this room. Dr Dust had managed to effectively create an informal, friendly atmosphere, and encouraged us to pop in and talk to her whenever we needed to. "I felt you may be interested in this." She pushed a large blue book across the desk towards me, eyes resting on my face as gently I picked it up.

I stared at the shape on the book, the 's' with dashes coming off it. Slowly, I raised a finger to my neck, allowing the tip to stroke at the birthmark hidden just under the collar line of my t-shirt. "What's this on here for?" I asked, bringing my hand back down and running the same finger over the shape on the book.

"He calls it a helix." Dr Dust explained, leaning back slightly. "I managed to ask him myself a few years back. He said it resembles a DNA strand."

I turned the book over, eyes scanning the information on the back. "Suresh, another geneticist?"

"He was." Dr Dust let out a sigh, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, he died in America."

My eyes snapped up to see the sadness that had now washed over her. "I'm sorry." Quickly, my gaze was drawn back to the book. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"Because Melinda, of all the children I have seen at this school, you seem to be the one who needs the most answers."

"And this book has them?" I asked, unable to hide the sceptical and critical tone of my voice. A corner of her mouth curved upwards as she leant forward.

"Some, Melinda. But not all. Suresh was an extremely clever man, but there was a lot he had left to discover before his death."

"No one has all the answers." I repeated the mantra she had told me time and time again, when in moments of frustration I had come to her office, ranting and raving, looking for answers or clues and ending up with more questions than I had started with. Something told me this book would lead me down the same path.

She gave a small chuckle. "Finally, it sinks in. Now, take that. I will, of course, be happy to explain words or phrases if you don't understand them. I think your friends are eager to carry on planning your birthday."

I nodded, stood and stepped backwards. "Thanks Dr Dust, for everything."

She gave a small tilt of her head in acknowledgement, before I slipped away, clinging onto the book as if it were the bible.


	3. Chapter 2

My birthday was rapidly approaching, and I found myself sleeping less and less as I eagerly devoured the information in Suresh's book. I read and re-read sections I didn't understand the first time around, I'd taken it back and forth to Dr Dust to clarify this or that piece of information. As Becky slept soundly in her bed in our room, I silently thanked the girl who could see in the dark. Not one of the best powers, but very useful so I didn't wake my sleeping roommate.

I was yanked out of the passage I was reading by a loud bang coming from the other end of the building. I reacted immediately, leaping out of the bed and sprinting into the corridor. Sounds carried towards me, shouts and cries and fighting....

"Mel!" I whirled around to see Sam sprinting towards me. "Where's Becky?"

"Sleeping." I replied, studying the look of fear in his eyes. "Why? What's happening?"

"We're being attacked." He explained, running a hand through his hair. "God knows who it is...Rin and Eddy are fighting, some of the teachers and older ones are too...the rest are helping move people out."

I nodded, processing the information quickly. "Sam, grab Becky and fly the hell out of here, OK? Don't you dare let her fight, and don't you dare go near it yourself."

He gave a curt nod. "I'll make sure she's safe Mel, what about you?"

"I'm going to do what I can, then follow on."

He pushed the door open and slid into the room, as I ran, using Becky's speed, towards the noise of the fight.

I arrived at the top of the stairs, to see the attackers at the bottom, edging backwards to get a footing on the steps. In front of them were a crowd of students I knew; Rin and Eddy led the fight, throwing fire and ice at the men. Another boy, one who was in a few of my classes, Jim was raising objects with his mind, sending them flying towards these people who had dared to invade the school.

I focused my hearing on the area under the stairs, and as soon as I heard the soft sobs I threw myself over the banister, floating downwards. A group of five children, six and seven year olds, were gathered under the stairs, crying and whimpering.

"It's OK." I whispered, reaching my hand out. "I'll get you out." I promised; I would make sure they were safe.

A shrill cry rang from behind me, the voice belonging to Rin, She was calling my name, yelling at me. I turned, trying to spot where she was calling from, but my sight was blocked by a large burly man holding up a long, metal pole. He gave me a gap toothed grin before swinging; a thud to the right side of my head knocked me out.

I was dimly aware of being lifted and carried. Drifting in and out of consciences, I picked up a few things about the men, namely that they were large and muscular, looking like they could easily lift twice my own weight. A few times I tried to do something – heat my body, or run, fly, shoot ice at them – but found that the part of my brain I usually accessed to use my powers was locked, unreachable.

I was not in pain, so I decided to switch off, shutting my body and mind down, rest where I could get it. Before I fell asleep, I found myself pondering the fates of my friends; was Rin being carried along with me? Was Eddy hurt? Did Sam and Becky make it out OK? And the kids...oh the poor kids! I hoped they were alright, that they were safe.

I kept my eyes tightly closed; I could hear voices from close by, one deep and rumbling, the other was defiantly male but sooth and soft.

"So things went well then?"

"Yes sir, like you said, just a bunch of kids. We were in and out in half hour."

"Good, good, and she slept most of the way?"

"Still out like a light, sir."

"Ah, I see. Well, when you have dealt with her, we need another chat with Mr Petrelli."

"You really think either of them will say yes?"

"I don't think either of them really have a choice, do you?"

I knew that a few hours must have passed when I next woke, my mind full of questions. What did they want me and this Petrelli guy to agree to? I knew there was no one else at the school by the same name, so who was he? I groaned, stopping when a voice pushed through the fogginess of my mind.

"Where is my brother?" Each word was split by a pause, the speaker full of anger and rage, and I forced my eyes open.

I could only the see the back of the speaker; beneath a t-shirt I could see his shoulder blades, clearly defined as he threw his arms against the bars in front of us. My eyes came into focus, and I realised there was a row of bars separating us, another one running along in front. We were in two cells, and again I groaned at the realisation that I was a prisoner in wherever this was.

"I told you Mr Petrelli, I am not at liberty to tell you that."

"If you've killed him..." A deep growl came from the other prisoner as I lifted myself into a sitting position, turning my eyes onto the man he was talking to.

I knew who that guy was; I'd seen him a brief second before being knocked out. Now, he gave the man the same gap toothed grin he'd bestowed on me before hitting me over the head with a pole.

"Then you will what, exactly, Mr Petrelli?" His head tilted to one side as he stared. "Glare me to death?" His gaze then turned to me, and he let out a low, nasty chuckle. "Looks like your cell mate is awake. Why don't you two get to know each other? I'm sure you'll have a lot to talk about."

My legs felt weak, and I knew they wouldn't support my weight. So I settled for staying in this position I was in, sitting with my legs stretched out before me. I could feel a thump building in my head, and when I put a finger under my hair, there I could feel a lump. I shuddered, before raising my right hand and facing the palm towards the bar.

I could feel his eyes on me, but for now I had decided to ignore him.

"Come on." I hissed. "Come on." I struggled to reach my powers, attempting to unlock the part of my mind that would give me access to them. I could feel the heat stretching through my arm, spreading down to my fingertips, and then...

Nothing.

"Whatever you're trying to do," his voice was gravely from having screamed himself hoarse, "it won't work. They have some electrical devices here which stop our powers working."

I detected a strong American accent in his words, and I didn't dare look at him as my hand dropped back to my side. "Why are we here?" I asked, eyes focused on the bar, willing them to be set alight or disappear or pulled out of the way.

"I don't know."

Silence followed as I pondered my fate.

Usually, when I was thinking, I tended to play with my hair. So now, naturally, my hand reached up to where I assumed the end of my hair would be. I was surprised to find that it carried on below my chin, and I took a deep breath before bringing a few strands in front of my face.

I was unable to hold back a groan, causing his eyes to fix on me, when I spotted the mousey brown colour of my hair. I climbed to my feet, stumbled forward a few paces before running a hand over my cheek. Under my fingers I could feel a few spots, some rough and bumpy, others soft but still there. Then, for the worst part. I allowed my eyes to drift down to my stomach.

The regular exercise I took part in had paid off; there was little more than a slight rounded belly there, so much less than it could have been.

I let out a relieved sigh before crossing over to the bars in front of me and leaning against them. I turned to the guy. "When they brought me in, do you know if anyone else was with me?"

"No." He looked slightly puzzled as he stared at me. "Where are you from, anyway?"

"Born and brought up in Manchester, but I live not for from London."

"England?"

"Yeah." I frowned. "Where else?"

"You're a long way from home kid."

"Why, where are we?" I stepped closer to the bars dividing our two cells, staring at his face. Clearly, he did not want to tell me. "Scotland? Ireland? Europe?" The last one was a stab in the dark – there was no way, I thought, they could have transported me easily over the water to mainland Europe.

"America, kid." He let out a sigh. "You're in New York."

For the first time I took a proper look at him, as he stood watching me. I swore loudly, kicked the bars and yelled in frustration as my foot throbbed. Stupid, stupid girl! Great, I'd just made a fool of myself in front of what had to be the hottest guy I'd ever seen in my life. Inwardly, I cursed whatever was stopping my powers at a time like this, as I took in his dark brown hair and the one eyebrow that was currently raised. He had an amused expression on his face as I rubbed at my foot.

"New York? You have got to be shitting me."

He let out a chuckle as I began to pace up and down. "You must be pretty special, for them to go that far to get you."

"No." I shook my head, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my jeans. "Nah, I'm not special. They must have confused me for someone else at my school.... "

He looked confused as he studied me, arms crossed and eyes following my movements. "I'm assuming you have an ability or something?" I nodded, not breaking my path. "So why would they go after anyone else? That's the reason they grabbed you."

I froze, glancing at him with a grin on my face. "I wasn't the only one with abilities at the school."

"You're kidding." He leant against the bars, arms dangling through and over to my side. "How many of you were there?"

"It was a school for EAs."

"EAs?"

"Yea, Evolutionary Advanced Human Beings. EAs because it's shorter."

"So there is a term for us?"

I shrugged, considering it for a few seconds. "Don't know if it's official or not, but it is what the school used. Better than mutants or whatever."

"Wow. That's actually pretty cool."

"Tell me about it. Lucky too, school full of us means I picked up a lot."

He nodded, deep in thought for a few moments.

"So, do you know many other EAs?" I asked, crossing my ankles and sitting down.

"A fair few." He gave a small shrug. "If I didn't then, well, I wouldn't be able to do anything I guess."

My heart started to beat quickly at what he had just implied. I struggled to keep my face straight, not daring to hope. What if I was wrong? I mean, I'd read into things too much before. There was only one way to find out. "Really? Why? What can you do?"

His relaxed smile was contagious, and I found myself easily smiling back. "I absorb the abilities of others."

I let out a low whistle, unable to not give him a full grin. "That's pretty amazing."

"I guess." His smile disappeared. "Almost killed my brother though."

I stared at the floor for a few seconds, before running my hand through my hair. "Dr Dust explained to me that without the right training, the right guidance I could have...exploded."

"So you can do the same then?"

"Yeah."

"The school must have been a great source."

"It really was. So overwhelming the first time I walked in though."

"I bet."

"So what sort of things can you do?"

We wasted a few hours discussing various aspects of our abilities, delving into the advantages of telepathy (and the disadvantages) and talking about the amazing feeling of soaring through the sky.

"I can teleport too." He added, after I'd told him about my first flight. "That's a new one."

"No way." I groaned, though still with a small grin on my face. "There was a teleporter at the school not long before I arrived. Shame I didn't get to pick it up. I can create fire and ice though, which comes in handy."

"I bet." I watched as he ran a hand through his hair. We had both moved to sit either side of the bars, our backs against the wall. I couldn't resist letting out a yawn.

"How long was I out for?"

"A while." He screwed up his face as he tried to work it out. "They were talking about it when you came in. Took them three days to get you over here, and you were knocked out for another 24 hours."

"Oh." I reached forward, pulling at the lace of my converse. It came undone, and I spent the next few minutes re-tying it. Three days until my birthday. It looked like I would be here when I turned eighteen.

"Hey, kid, you alright?"

I turned my head away from him, trying to hide the tears that had sprung up. "Fine." I mumbled.

His hand reached through the bars, gently resting on my shoulder. "You can tell me, what's wrong?"

"I'm turning eighteen in three days." I explained, letting out a sigh. "And it looks like I'm going to be here for it."

He squeezed my shoulder, gently, and I turned to look at him. His eyes were full of pity for me, and quickly I looked away once more. I didn't want him to see me looking so upset. "What were you planning to do for it?"

I smiled, remembering discussing the plans for my birthday with the others back home. Gradually, I slid my body down until I was lying on the floor. "Go into the city, get very drunk. Have a laugh with my mates."

"Sounds good." He whispered, as I closed my eyes.

"Yeah. Night."

"Hey, I still don't know your name."

"Melinda."

"Nice to meet you Melinda. I'm Peter."

"Peter..." It suited him.

"Yeah?"

"Nice to meet you too."


	4. Chapter 3

"Why would I help the bastards that killed my brother?"

"No one said he was dead, Mr Petrelli."

"Then where is he!"

I woke to the raised voice of Peter, arguing with the same man who had been around when I woke up the day before. Groggily, I opened my eyes to see Peter slam his hands against the bars, wrapping his fingers around them and glaring at the large man facing him.

"I have already explained the situation to you Mr Petrelli, we will not be able to disclose that information unless you agree to our terms."

Sleeping on the floor had really not been a good idea. I knew I tossed and turned a lot in my sleep, and my head felt like it had been smacked repeatedly on the stone. I made a wild guess that they were doing everything they could to make us as uncomfortable as possible until we agreed to whatever they wanted.

"Ah, you're awake." The man turned his gaze onto me, grinning and revealing teeth that were too white for the darkness. Peter stepped back from the bars, fists clenched at his side. "Come, you have been called."

"Called?" I croaked, rubbing the back of my head. "What for?"

"You are not in a position to be asking questions." He spoke calmly, stepping towards my cell. "How is your head?"

"Fine, thank you." I spat back, struggling slowly to my feet. I was lying – it was thumping at the back, and I knew that without any tablets it would be only be an hour before the pain got so bad that I'd be unable to focus on anything. His lips curled back in amusement.

"Really? It does not look it."

I glanced over at Peter as I lifted my hand up and brushed my fingers under my hair. He was staring at me with concern on his handsome face; I knew why almost instantly. A lump had formed on my head.

"Now, I suggest you co-operate and come with me, or the lump in your head will only get worse."

I kept my eyes locked on Peter, who gave a shrug.

"Fine." I crossed over towards him as he wrenched open the doors to the cell. He slid to one side to let me step past, and I mumbled "whatever." I decided to play the role of angry, awkward teenager, something I knew I could pull of quite easily.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"What is your name?"

"Melinda."

"We know that. Your full name."

I stared hard at him, this tall man with jet black hair, looking oh so sleek and stylish in his expensive Armani suit. He sat behind a desk, a pen posed above a piece of paper as his cold grey eyes stared at me. His lips were set in a thin line.

"Why should I tell you that?"

I was reluctant to tell them my full name, some part of me felt that it gave me, not an advantage, but more a small, tiny bit of power if I withheld the information.

"If you tell us, then I will give you something to help your head."

"Dust." I made a show of sighing, rolling my eyes. "Melinda Dust."

"Good, now that wasn't so hard was it?" He jotted it down, before smiling at me. In any other normal situation, the smile would have been charming. Right now though, all I wished for was to burn him to a crisp. Or just punch him. But there were more of those electrical devices in the room, and his goons, the same big men who had been at the school, were standing near the door. Armani tilted his head to one side, eyes studying me. "Now, Miss Dust, I would like you to know, I would rather be your friend than your enemy."

"Well," I crossed my arms, lifted my chin and stared down at him "I would like you to know, I am not usually friends with those who kidnap me."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a goon slide forward, looking ready to hit me as soon as he was given the word. Armani raised a hand, and the goon fell back, looking annoyed at the lost opportunity to use violence.

"I'm sorry for your unfortunate circumstances in being brought here Miss Dust, but we had no other way to contact you. If we had been seen approaching you at the school we would have been killed on sight."

"So you sneak in during the middle of the night, you cause a fight with the other students, possibly injuring who knows how many, and get your goons to smack me over the head? You're lying anyway, through your pearly white teeth..." Again the goon stepped forward, a growl escaping from his clenched teeth "...the school operate a non-violent policy. If you'd wanted to talk to me, well it would have been easy enough to go through official channels."

Clearly, whatever they wanted me for would not have been accepted at the school; otherwise they would have gone to the teachers, who in turn could have informed me that they wanted to speak to me. It would only be in the case that they posed a threat would the situation turn violent.

It made me more curious as to what they requested of me.

He remained smiling, as he leant back in his chair and put the tips of his fingers together. He surveyed me like a master with a slave, eyeing me up and down and making brisk judgements. "I bet you are fed up with sleeping on the stone cold floor of a cell, Miss Dust."

I let my eyes fall to his hands, still in a steeple position in front of his face. The nails were immaculate, with clear white curves and pink bases. Not a single chip or mark, no signs dirt under the nails or dry, flaky skin around them. He looked perfect.

It put me on my guard.

"You get used to it."

His grin increased, his lips curling backwards to reveal, once again, straight white teeth, completely clean with not a single stain on them. "Well, if you co-operate you may not have to sleep on that floor again."

I crossed my arms, lifting my chin as I stared down at him. "Yeah?"

"Melinda, by this evening you could be sleeping on a four poster bed in the lap of luxury."

"Whatever your offer is, the answer is no." I knew I didn't want any part of their plan, I didn't want to follow what they said or did and I did not want to take them up on the offer of sleeping somewhere more comfortable than my cell floor.

"You don't know what our condition is yet." He slipped his fingers between each other, folding them together so they formed a fist instead. I fixed my eyes on his cold orbs, building up the strength inside me to face him down. I would have given anything to punch him, or set him on fire or freeze his balls. But all options were out of the window for me; I'd already spotted a few of the electrical devices in the room, and if I made any attempt to attack him, well, the guys at the door had guns. I wouldn't make it out of here alive.

"I guarantee my answer will still be no."

"Hear me out Miss Dust. We simply need your help."

"My help?" I spat, shaking my head. I was struck by a single word; they needed my help. Needed. That meant they needed me, which meant that they wouldn't kill me. Not anytime soon anyway, not until they got fed up of my refusal to help and then decided to get rid of me.

"Yes, Miss Dust. We'd like to offer you a job."

"Go to hell."

He waved a hand, and with that simple gesture I was grabbed by two of the burly men and dragged away, back to my cell.

"They wanted me to join them!" I spat, pacing up and down the cell, as I explained to Peter the events that had recently transpired. His eyes followed my every movement, I felt unable to sit still with this rage and frustration building up in me, this annoyance at them for doing what they'd done to me, for making me feel so helpless. "They thought I'd say yes at the promise of a proper bed rather than this floor." I cried, shaking my head.

I wanted my powers back, I wanted to be able to take control again. I wanted to see my friends and Dr Dust and walk back into the school, where it was safe.

Was safe...

Even if I did somehow, by some miracle, manage to break out and make it home, what was to say they wouldn't come after me? That they wouldn't track me down and drag me back here.

I wondered if there was anywhere I could go where they would be unable to find me.

I stopped my pacing, turning to glance at Peter. He was leaning against the bars, watching me with a curious expression.

"You going to sit down kid?" He asked, seeming genuinely concerned for me.

It was like a barrier had been broken then, as everything seemed to hit me and overwhelm me. Tears flooded from my eyes, and I snapped my hands up to cover my face. All because of the expression on his face, the way he had looked at me, it had reminded me of Sam, the way he'd look at me when he was worried, the way he'd just watch me until I was ready to talk. What Peter had said sent memories of Dr Dust flooding into my mind, as I remembered pacing around her office, stressed and worried and venting, the way she'd ask me, after a while, if I was ready to sit down.

"Whoa." His hands moved to grip around the bars. "Mel, what's wrong?"

"I want to go home." I choked out, still hiding my face. "I want to go home and celebrate my birthday with my friends!" My friends... "I want to know if they're OK!" What if they were hurt? Or dead? What if they hadn't escaped, all because some messed up fuckers decided they wanted me? Images flashed into my head, Rin lying dead on the floor, sprawled and a blank expression staring up at a ceiling, followed in quick succession by Eddy and Sam and Becky and Dr Dust and everyone else I knew at the school.

My knees gave way and I fell to the floor, sobbing as I choked out the words "what if they're dead? Because of me!"

"You can't think like that."

When I draw my hands away, I saw Peter kneeling behind the bars, watching me carefully. "You can't let yourself think that they're dead, Mel."

"But what if they are?"

"What if they're not? Then you'll just end up wasting time and energy thinking otherwise. They wanted you Mel, I doubt they'd....they may not have touched your friends."

He was right, but I still couldn't get the images from my mind.

"One of the few things that kept me going in here was the idea that my brother is still alive, that Nathan is out there waiting for me."

"They have to be alive." I hung my head, staring at the floor. "They need to survive. Oh god, Peter, if you could meet them...Eddy and Sam, they'd make you laugh your head off. And Rin, she's so clever. Like you wouldn't believe. Her and Eddy are going to get married one day, I swear to god."

"Yeah?"

I glanced back up, to see him smiling gently, laughter dancing in his eyes.

"They're a really good couple." I muttered, letting my eyes drift to the window. "I've never seen anyone more perfect for each other."

Peter was quiet, becoming thoughtful as I thought about the future. A strange determination came over me; I would get the hell out of this place, I would find my friends and one day, me and Becky would stand at Rin's side, as she and Eddy had their big day.

She'd already promised we'd be bridesmaids.

"I don't know any couples like that." Peter commented, and once more I looked at him.

Hiding behind his eyes was something akin to sorrow; I wondered what he was thinking about. Something told me that the relationships he knew, or had been in, had turned out badly.

I resisted the temptation to press him about it.


	5. Chapter 4

Every time I slept, my subconscious mind whipped me into the same dream. I'd be in the foyer of the school, standing there with Eddie, Rin, Sam and Becky, talking normally about school work or plans for the weekend and ideas for mine and Becky's birthday. Yet something wasn't quite right; the walls were distorted, warped and the colouring on them was not the usual sky-blue that I knew. It was stony and grey. My friends would freeze, the light would dim and suddenly Peter would be my side, telling me we needed to get out to go to escape. Sam would grab onto Becky, and shoot off into the sky that the school roof had opened up on. As soon as they disappeared, Rin and Eddy would almost dissolve, disappearing before my very eyes and bars would drop down between me and Peter.

The last time I had this dream, I woke up sweating and shivering. But I couldn't move. It was like my body was frozen in place. I tried to open my mouth, to say something, before realising that my back was not touching the cold stone floor.

With a jerk, my body fell down, landing on the floor with a thud. "What the hell just happened?" I groaned, pulling myself up to face Peter. He was staring at the entrance of the large room, a grin plastered across his face.

"Happy birthday Mel!"

I struggled to focus my vision, an overwhelming heat washing over me. I slid back across the floor as fire shot from my palm, barely missing Peter. Hastily I climbed to my feet, glancing around me, looking to see if there was anything noticeably different. "Peter, what's going on?"

Peter began to explain, but before he could enlighten me to the strange events and our powers being returned, a small, Japanese man materialised on the other side of the bars, grinning as he held a long samurai sword. I watched as he pushed his glasses up his nose, and something told me I had seen him before.

"Peter Petrelli!" His grin grew wider as Peter stepped towards him, grabbing the bars at the front of the cell.

"Hiro! Thank god."

Hrio? It defiantly wasn't a common name, and I swear I knew it from somewhere. Why the hell did this guy seem so familiar?

I searched the recesses of my brain, trying to work out who he was. Nothing clicked.

Before I could dwell on it further, a strange sensation came over my body. It felt as though cold ice had been dropped down my t-shirt, running along my spine. I shuddered, and suddenly found myself standing on the other side of the bars, facing Hiro.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I stared nervously at him. "So you're the teleporter then?"

"Hiro Nakamura." He bowed his head slightly, as Peter disappeared from his spot and reappeared beside the smaller man. Hiro looked slightly nerdy, wearing a suit and tie, but there was no way I would disagree with him – the sword looked pretty kick-ass.

"Who else is here?" Peter asked, all joviality gone, the grin replaced by a serious tilt downwards of his lips.

"Matt Parkman, a few others are too but..." He paused, as we heard noises rapidly approaching. "No time!" He clapped his hands down on our shoulders, and once more I felt the strange ice-cold feeling on my back.

Hiro and Peter stood over me as I fell to my knees in the corridor, doors leading off into apartments, with numbers plastered on them in gold coloured lettering. Something in my brain was clicking together – New York, an explosion, a samurai sword and a small Japanese man called Hiro Nakamura.

"Hiro..." I gasped, lifting my head as I rubbed the back of my neck. "But...you're a comic book character."

Hiro chuckled, eyes staring down at me. "Peter, I must go. I will return with Parkman later."

"Kay." Peter nodded, shaking the smaller man's hand. "Thank you Hiro. I owe you." Hiro's grin grew, before he disappeared and Peter turned to me, cupping his hand under my elbow. "Come on birthday girl, I'll explain inside."

He led me towards one of the doors, and as we walked shockwaves thundered through my body. Of course, I did not attribute this feeling as love, it was more akin to lust; he was undeniably hot, and we had spent a fair amount of time with just the two of us. He knocked on the door, as I tried to reel my thoughts back into place. My head still felt messed up and confused from the sudden departure from the cells and the form of travelling. I couldn't think straight, and realised, as I stood there, that I was now quite dizzy.

The door opened and a good looking dark skinned man stood there. He looked more than a little surprised to see us there, but his mouth fell into a smile. "Peter. Good to see you."

"You too." The smile on Peter's face was easy, relaxed as the two men shook hands, Peter clasping his left over the connected limbs. "You too." The hands broke away and Peter's hand rested between my shoulder blades, gently leading me forward. We entered into a kitchen slash dining room area, and beside the table sat a young girl with blonde hair. She was bent over scattered papers showing drawings, while a large map book lay in front of her. "Mohinder, this is Melinda."

"Nice to meet you Melinda." The Indian took my hand, shaking it gently. His hands were warm, and on them I could feel small scratches at the base of fingers and across the palms. As he drew his hand away, I glanced nervously around.

"You too. Do you mind if I use your toilet?"

"Of course not. Molly, will you show Melinda to the bathroom?" The blonde girl leapt up, smiling nervously and worriedly at me.

"Thank you. And...it's Mel."

"Of course." He bowed his head slightly before Molly lead me around a corner. As we walked away, I heard Peter begin speaking.

"Have you heard...."

As he spoke, an image of him standing in the kitchen flashed into my mind. I pushed it away, giving no further thought as to where it had come from.

Molly stopped outside the bathroom, glancing uncertainly at me.

"You can come in if you want." I shrugged, opening the door. "I only want to have a look in the mirror."

"OK." She followed me in, settled herself on the edge of the bath and watched as I stood in front of my reflection. I shuddered, seeing finally the spots that were scattered across my cheeks and chin, a particularly nasty one right in the corner, where the right side of my nose met my cheek. A few more made a T shape above my eyebrows and down between them.

"I'm glad you're OK." Molly spoke, staring at me as I poked my tongue out of my mouth at the mirror. "Those men looked scary."

"You could see them?" I asked, running my tongue around my mouth. My teeth felt disgusting; I defiantly needed a wash and an appearance change.

"Yeah." She nodded slowly, glancing down at the floor. "I can kind of find people."

"Ah." I glanced at her. "That's a pretty handy ability."

"Sometimes." I saw a faint streak of red across her cheeks. "That's how Mr Nakamura and Matt found you and Mr Petrelli."

"So I have you to thank for the rescue." I smiled, watching her in the mirror. She smiled gently back, as I focused, getting rid of the spots and replacing them with smooth, slightly tanned skin. I shortened my hair so it was just above my ears, darkening it slightly so it was no longer a weird mix of brown and grey. I turned to look at Molly. "What do you think Molly?"

I scratched at my neck, waiting for a response from the young girl. My fingers ran over the birthmark – I never felt the need to cover it with my ability. It was the only link I had to my parents and my past, and after devouring Dr Suresh's book I liked it even more.

She was staring at me with wide eyes, shocked and surprised. Slowly, her mouth turned into a grin. "Oh wow. That's amazing."

I felt my cheeks blush, as I focused on my stomach and rid myself of the flab. I loved being able to morph. "It's very useful. Not so much as yours though."

"I wish I could change myself." She stood up, as I offered her my hand. She clenched it as we walked back towards the kitchen.

"Why?" I chuckled. "Molly, you are way too young and way too cute to be thinking like that."

We entered the kitchen, and both men stopped talking almost mid-sentence. They turned to look at me as Molly sat back at the table. They looked surprised by my change, and I was a little flattered to see both of them scan me up and down. Ignoring them, reminded strongly of Eddie and Sam's reactions when I first started messing around with this ability, I took the seat beside Molly.

An hour later, and I found myself dozing on the sofa, eyes flickering in response to snippets of conversation. I lifted myself up, amused to see Molly struggling to hold back yawns as the two men discussed people and places I'd never heard of over cups of coffee.

"Molly," Mohinder turned to the young girl, and I could see laughter dancing in his eyes, "time for bed."

"But I want to see Matt!" She argued, lifting her head and staring at Mohinder with pleading eyes. I couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"I'll send him in to your room when he gets back."

I pulled myself off the sofa as Molly went into her room, grumbling the whole way. I sat at the table, as Mohinder turned towards me and started to ask me questions about the school. His interest didn't shock me, especially as I'd had no reason to think there might be something familiar in the U.S. So I told him what I thought he'd find interesting, discussing Dr Dust and her ability, her interest in genetics and how the school was a resource for my own power.

I then found myself talking about the book she had given me. "Dust knew the author, apparently, and she thought the book might be able to give me some answers. Especially as it had this on the back." I pulled the collar down slightly, showing the faint birthmark. Both men leant forward, staring at it and looking as surprised as they had by my entrance a little earlier on.

Mohinder stood up, quickly moving towards a book shelf that sat beside the television. I turned to Peter as the other man began to scan the books, and saw my ex-cell mate hook his own hand under his collar, drawing out a thin chain. On the end dangled the same symbol that sat on my shoulder.

"What does it mean?"

"I have no idea." Peter held the pendent between his fingers. "It was given to me by...a friend."

Mohinder returned to the table, placing a large blue book down in front of me. I stared at it, knowing it instantly. I couldn't resist a smile as I stared at it. "That's the book." I expected Mohinder to look, well, maybe not happy, but I didn't expect the dark look on his face as he stared at the cover. "Mohinder, what's wrong?"

"That book was written by my father."

"I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about. It was not you, and it was a long time ago."

"Dr Dust told me it would have a couple of answers for me."

"Why is it everyone I meet," Mohinder rolled his eyes, glancing towards Peter, "seems to have read that book?"

"Because everyone you meet is like us."

I turned towards the door, where a largish man with a friendly face stood, eyeing me uncertainly.

"An EA." I muttered under my breath, watching as he raised an eyebrow.

"A what?"

I went on to explain what I had previously told Peter, bits about the school and the origin of the term EA. As I spoke I could feel him fighting to get into my head, and using everything Dr Dust had taught me about the ability I pushed him back out, kept him away from my fragile memories and my more private thoughts. As I finished speaking, I was panting heavily, staring hard at him as he gripped the doorframe, glaring at me.

This was clearly a guy who'd never been surprised by someone putting up a mental fight against him.

"A word of advice Parkman," I added, my hands gripped around the back of my chair, knuckles white, "don't try to read my thoughts – I've had years of training to deal with this." I'd gleaned a few bits from his own mind – his name, the fact that he was an ex-copper with an ex-wife and that he was relatively new to this whole thing.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked, looking scared at the threat.

"Matt," Mohinder stepped towards the other man, Parkman's eyes still fixed on me, "this is Melinda. She was locked up with Peter."

Matt moved, so he was standing nearer the table. He was still staring at me with unblinking eyes, as Peter watched me worriedly. I felt drained, and my breathing was still ragged. "You can read minds?"

"I know someone who can."

"Right." Mohinder put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. "Is it OK if you stay in Molly's room Melinda?"

"Sure." I pulled myself up, following Mohinder into the younger girl's bedroom. He said that they would take me shopping, for some new clothes, the day after if I so wished. Thanking him, I watched as he took a blanket from Molly's cupboard. The girl was fast asleep, her blonde hair falling over her face and a teddy bear being hugged tightly at her chest. I lay down on the sofa, heard the click of the door as Mohinder left and fell asleep almost straight away.


	6. Chapter 5

"So how does your power work then?" I asked the following morning as I braided Molly's hair. I was curious about this ability; it wasn't one I had come across at the school. I wanted to know how it worked, and listened as Molly told me how she'd focus on someone, using a photograph if she needed one, and that the maps were like added aids to communicate the location to someone else.

I don't know how I ended up doing her hair – we'd both woken up and kind of slipped into it, I guess. I used to do it for some of the younger students at the school, and Becky every now and then. Becky...

"Do you think you could find someone for me?" I asked, twisting her hair in my fingers.

I would have tried it myself, but new better than to try to use a new power almost straight away. She would be quicker, would have better luck than I.

"Sure." She half turned to me as I took off my shoe. I peeled off part of the bottom, grinning up at her as I revealed the crappy hiding place. From here, I pulled out a photo of me, Becky and Rin. I handed it to her and pointed out Becky.

"Her, if that's OK."

She nodded, grabbing a large map book from her shelf and sitting, cross legged, on her bed. She lay the book open in front of her, staring at the photograph. Her hand started to flick through the pages as I watched, her face scrunched up in concentration. "I can't find it on the map..." She muttered. "It's a school, though. She's with another girl...the girl from the photo...hang on...ow!" She yelled out, eyes wide open as she stared at me. "A woman, she saw me! She pushed me away!"

I moved towards her, putting an arm around her shoulders and rubbing gently. "It's OK, it was properly just Dr Dust keeping an eye out. Protecting them. Are you OK?"

"Yeah. It was...it felt like an electric shock."

I nodded, kissing the top of her forehead. "She's just looking out for my friends."

"Where were they?"

"My school." I told her. "Thank you Molly. I know they're safe now."

Later on, I paced up and down the kitchen, in front of Hiro and Peter. Hiro had returned whilst I'd been sleeping, and now he watched me with a wary eye. I was ranting about needing to contact my friends, needing to let them know I was alright.

"Phone them?" Peter asked, gesturing towards the wall, on which sat a white handset.

"I don't know the number." I groaned. "And I...well, I left my mobile in my room."

I wondered if any of them had dreamt of my dead body.

"Teleport?" Hiro suggested, but I quickly dismissed this.

"It's too far. I'd get off track and end up in Shakespearean London or something." I let out a sigh, running a hand through my hair. "Telepathy is out of it as well, again – too far. Telecommunications of any thought are out."

Peter chuckled at this, as I played with a strand of my blue-black hair. "Which I guess means you'd find it too far to fly, as well?"

"Yep."

We sat in silence, the three of us trying to think of a way I could contact the school. Briefly, I wondered if perhaps Matt or Mohinder would offer a solution when they returned from wherever they were – both men had been out when I'd woken up, and wrapped up in my own problems I had yet to question their whereabouts.

"E-mail!" Hiro cried, pushing his glasses up his nose as he grinned at me.

"Hiro you are a genius!" I threw my hands in the air, excited now to find a solution. I glanced around, spotted the computer in the corner and dashed over to it. "How the hell did I not think of that?" Peter followed me, standing over my shoulder as I turned the computer on. I groaned when I realised it was password protected.

"Molly will know the password." Peter commented, eyes scanning the screen. "Look – she has her own user area."

"True. Molly!"

Molly came from her bedroom, and quickly gave me access to her user area. I felt much better as I clicked the send button, and my mood only got better when, just over ten minutes later I had a reply from Dr Dust, saying she was glad I was alright and everyone was fine; there had been no serious injuries from the fight.

She also gave an apology for Molly, after my explanation of what had happened. She had been worried, she said, that it was the men back for something. I told her what I knew, and said I'd keep her informed.

Relieved and happy, I sat back and stared at the screen. It really felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders, though my first problem had simply been replaced by another – how the hell was I going to get home with no money whatsoever?

Hiro left us not long after I sent the e-mail, dashing off to god knew where. Peter and I lounged around with Molly, until Mohinder and Matt returned. The former decided we were safe enough to leave Molly with, and disappeared, he explained, to do some work. Matt had some errands to run, which he saw fit to keep secret from me, and so the three of us stuck on a Disney movie and gathered around the television.

Peter was restless and fidgety, and every time we heard a noise from further down the corridor he'd glance around, as if expecting to see one of the two men enter.

He got his wish, eventually, when Mohinder returned. I watched as Peter leapt off the sofa, crossed, quicker than I'd seen someone move normally, over to the Indian doctor. They conducted a quick conversation in whispers, before disappearing into the doctor's bedroom.

The credits appeared on the screen, and Molly ejected the DVD, slipping it carefully back into its case. "What do you want to watch now?"

"Don't mind." I shrugged, running a hand through my hair as I wondered what the other two were now discussing. "You choose Molly."

"Kay." Eagerly, she crossed to the bookshelf, which contained a few shelves of heavy looking volumes, and two shelves packed of various DVDs. Her eyes scanned the row, and when she pulled one out, showing it to me, I couldn't help but grin. "Mulan?"

"Sure." I nodded, kind of looking forward to watching it – the film had always been one of my favourites.

"Mel, do you want to go with Peter?"

"Where?"

I glanced up from the newspaper I'd been flicking through, not really paying attention to the words on the pages. My eyes fixed on Mohinder, who stood with Peter near the doorway as Peter pulled on his jacket.

"I'm going to the hospital." Peter explained. "Then to pick Molly up from school."

It was the day after the Disney movieathon, and I think the pair of them sensed my growing frustration at sitting around all day. Although Mohinder had mentioned shopping again yesterday, I knew they were way too busy to take me around. I practically leapt from the sofa, glad to have a chance to get out of here and see at least a little bit of the city, even if it was just the waiting room of the hospital.

Unfortunately, said waiting room was just as boring as the apartment, and I found myself doing pretty much the same thing; sitting on a chair, much more uncomfortable than the sofa, and flicking through a magazine, much less intellectual than the paper. Lines screamed out at me, noting celebrities who were too fat, too thin or wearing a dress that was so last season.

Growing bored, I threw the magazine back onto the table and tilted my head back, staring at the ceiling and counting tiles.

Every time the door swung open, revealing glimpses of the ward behind it, my head snapped around, keeping a watch for Peter. After what seemed like an eternity he stepped out, a small smile lingering on his face. I leapt from the chair, sliding into step beside him as he passed me.

"That's a big smile Mel."

"That's 'cos I'm glad we can finally get out of here."

He glanced at me, before rolling his eyes. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, his shoulders pushed forward as we stepped out of the hospital.

"So how's your brother?" I asked, adopting a sing song voice as the sun hit my skin and the smell of fresh air smacked into my nostrils. So much nicer than inside, where I'd had to put up with the smell of disinfectant and the strange dull lighting they seemed to prefer in hospitals all over the world.

He was silent, staring straight ahead.

When he gave no reply, I gently put my hand on his arm. "Peter, what's wrong?"

"He's in a coma." He explained. "They don't know when he's going to wake up. If he wakes up."

Gently I squeezed his arm. "He'll be OK, if he's anything like you Peter then he's a fighter."

He glanced sideways at me, before fixing his gaze straight ahead. "I guess. I just hope he pulls through."

I didn't push the matter further, just walked silently alongside him as we made our way to the hospital. I had so many questions, so many things I wanted to know but I daren't ask, I didn't want to push him and I had a feeling that if he wanted me to know, he'd tell me.

We picked Molly up, and eagerly she showed me the work she had been doing in school that day. I admired the pictures she had drawn and sounded as enthusiastic as possible, complimenting her on her handwriting exercises. She then proceeded to tell me about the American Civil War, or what little they had done in school anyway.

"Come on!" As we rounded the corner and the apartment block came into view, she seemed to become more eager to get me inside. Her small hand clutched mine, pulling me onwards.

"What are you so excited about?" I chuckled, glancing at Peter and spotting a strange, mischievous glint in his eyes. "Peter, what's going on?"

"Nothing." He shrugged, pushing open the door to let us inside. "What makes you think something is going on?"


	7. Chapter 6

"Happy birthday!"

The yells filled my head, and I found myself biting on my lip, a large grin spreading across my face as I took in the banner hanging from the ceiling, the table full of food underneath it complete with a large cake, eighteen candles burning. I glanced from Mohinder, to Molly, to Hiro and finally to Peter, as he clapped me on the back.

"Thought you might like a proper celebration." Peter moved from my side, grabbing himself a sandwich from the plate on the table. He took a bite, before glancing up at me. "It's not every day you turn eighteen."

"Guys I..." Tilting my head forward, I stared at the floor, gratitude filling me. "Thank you, so much. For everything."

"Mohinder did the food." Molly explained, squeezing my hand. "I helped! But he's a good cook!"She grinned up at me, and I couldn't resist planting a kiss on the top of her head.

"When did you do all this?"

My eyes eagerly surveyed the food, taking in the sandwiches of all kinds, the chicken wings and sausages and crisps and cookies. There was so much of it.

"Some of it last night, some of it today." Hiro spoke up, half of his face taken over by his grin. "Go on Melinda, dig in!"

The food was great, and Molly had been right. Mohinder really was a good cook. They put on a party CD belonging to Molly, mostly old tracks and Disney songs, and I danced with the small girl, enjoying myself for a small while. They were trying so hard, I could tell, to make me feel at home.

But when Hiro had left, and we all went to bed, I couldn't help but silently cry on the sofa that was my bed for now. I should have been celebrating with my friends, back at home. I should have been at the school, or out in the town with drinks. It should have been me and Becky, celebrating being adults, while Rin and Eddie and Sam filled us with alcohol.

I missed them, so much, and there was nothing I could do to remedy the situation.

Something shook the whole apartment, and my eyes flickered open almost instantly. From the other room I heard a loud thump, and in response the beat of my heart quickened. I sat up, eyes snapping to Molly's bed straight away. Her nightlight lit up her face, and seeing the look of pure fear there, as she stared at the door, I began to panic. Throwing off the covers from the sofa I pegged it across the room, leaping onto the bed and grabbing hold of the girl. I pulled her tight to my chest, holding her close. Her whole body was frozen with fear, every inch cold.

"Molly, what's going on?"

"Sylar."

Something about the way she said it sent shivers running down my spine. The way she stared at the door made me too aware that whoever or whatever Sylar was, I should be scared. I clutched her closer to me, making a silent promise that he or she or it or whatever would come nowhere near the young girl.

"Molly," I whispered, scared that if I was any louder I would be heard, "who's Sylar?"

We heard another thump, Molly whimpered and clung even tighter to me. I heard Mohinder groan in the other room, heard Matt cry out before he fell silent and a bang shook the whole apartment. The door flew open, literally, it came off its hinges and whizzed across the room, hitting the wall and falling forward. I held Molly against me as I turned to the man in the doorway. A long trench coat covered his tall frame, and I fixed a steely gaze on his face, hating him immediately for scaring Molly this badly.

"Dude," I forced myself to chuckle, refusing to show him how scared I actually felt, "you really need to wax those eyebrows. Actually, burning them might be better."

He looked pretty pissed off with my comment, and I guessed few people had said similar things to them. He stepped further into the room, raising his hand. I was quicker though, and in a flash I'd sent a ball of fire flying towards him. It smacked into his stomach, sending him slamming onto the floor. Behind, I could see Mohinder lying on the ground, clearly badly injured. Peter stepped out of the shadows, clutching his stomach.

Sylar was stirring on the floor as Peter stepped towards the bedroom and the man. "Peter! Grab Mohinder and fly!" As I spoke, I pulled Molly off the bed and towards the window. She clung onto me as Sylar got to his feet. With no more witty lines stored in my head, I relied on pure profanities. "Just fuck off, will you?" I cried, sending ice to the door and blocking it. I pulled open the window. "Hold on Molly." I whispered, jumping out into the night air.

I flew until I thought I was going to drop out of the sky. Carefully, all too aware of my passenger, I started heading for the ground. With a soft bump we landed, and I glanced around me. "Molly, do you know where we are?"

"Central Park." She muttered, eyes taking in the trees and grass. In the distance I could see a lake, and running past us a long path. I nodded, rubbing my neck.

"Alright, cool. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. You think Mohinder and Peter will be OK?" She looked at me with wide eyes, clearly worried about the two men.

"They'll be fine." I winked, trying to remain cheerful for her sake, though I had no idea if they'd even made it out of the apartment. "They can look after themselves, and so can we. I'm going to change my appearance, you'll be easier to hide than me yeah?"

"Yep." She sat on the grass, watching me as I closed my eyes and focused. This was going to be harder without a mirror, and the panic flowing through me was going to make just that tiny bit more difficult. I didn't have a plan, all I knew was it would be better if I wasn't wondering around looking like myself, like Sylar had seen me anyway.

When I thought I was maybe finished, I opened my eyes and looked at Molly. "How do I look kid?"

"Different." Her voice was quiet, devoid of emotion. I knew that tone well, had used it a lot at the orphanage. It was something we, as kids, used to do to keep the worry and fear at bay, to keep adults locked out and to convince ourselves that hey, we were fine, alright?

"Think I look like I could be your sister?" I asked, stroking my now long locks of blonde hair. I'd added a bit of height, changed my eye colour to match Molly's. I hadn't wanted any colour on my hair to be too drastic, I needed to blend in after all.

She raised a shoulder in a half shrug. "Sure."

"Come on," I held my hand out, glad when she took it and let me pull her up "we should find a pay phone."

Why we should do this, I didn't know. After all, I didn't know anyone's number. It had just been the first thing that came into my mind, that was all.

And I needed Molly to be convinced I knew what I was doing.

Finally we reached a payphone on the edge of the park, and the pair of us squeezed into it. I tried to think where the others might have gone, I wondered if there was anywhere they'd consider safe, where they might be protected. I glanced at Molly.

"Mol, do you have Matt's work number?"

"I know it off by heart."

"Brilliant!" I grinned at her, before dialling the reverse charges number listed just above the phone. I gestured at the phone, smiling gently at the girl as she dialled the number.

"Where is she you bastard?"

"Matt, it's Mel."

"Is Molly with you?"

"Yes."

"Safe?"

"Yes."

"Thank god." The panic disappeared from his voice, replaced by pure relief. I glanced around us, eyes picking up on something in the sky. I grinned to myself, calculating how long it'd be before the shape was above us. "Mohinder and Peter are with me."

"How are they?"

"Mohinder is badly injured. Are you two alright?"

"Unscathed. Matt, I need directions. Mind giving them to Molly?"

I passed the phone to the girl, slipping out and eyes still fixed on the shape. I raised my hands, sending two fireballs up into the sky. I glanced at Molly, who clung onto the phone as though she could bring Matt closer by doing so. With the door open, I could hear the change in her voice, could hear the happiness and relief that I currently felt as the shape swerved and started to dive towards us.

The shape crumpled but quickly got up, staring at me with his cheeky 'don't you just love me' grin. He gave me a wink before looking around. "Mel, why aren't you at the apartment?"

"Long story." I couldn't help but return the smile, resisting the urge to throw my arms around him. "Did you fly all the way?"

"Are you kidding? Think I'm superman or something?" He rolled his eyes, before glancing at Molly. He gave a small frown, before carrying on. "The others are on a ferry. I got bored and decided to come ahead."

"Why not a plane?"

"Ferry was cheaper. Kind of. I can't explain now, can we, like, go somewhere?"

"Sure." I turned to Molly. "Where we going Molly?" She told me, quickly, the directions to the twenty four hour coffee shop slash diner Matt had given her directions to. "Sweet. Come on Sam, let's go."

Sam filled me in what had happened after the fight. He'd taken Becky far enough away to be safe, before returning. By the time he'd got there, the guys had gone, me along with them. Most people had been hiding in the training room, he'd found Rin knocked out and Eddy trying to wake her up.

"He said as soon as they had you, they just left."

"Jesus." I glanced at Molly, remembering some of the younger kids at the school. It was my fault; they'd been hurt because of me. "But everyone was alright, right?"

"Yeah, fine." Sam assured me. "Dr Dust said she told you there'd been no serious injuries. Rin woke up almost straight away – first thing she did was look for you, Mel."

I nodded, as we turned the corner and spotted the diner. I pushed Molly ahead of me, smiling to myself when Matt rushed forward and pulled her into a tight bear hug. Peter stood up, looking ready to greet me until he spotted Sam. He gave the boy a strange, weary look, and I saw the expression mirrored on my friend's face.

Ignoring their strange behaviour, I slid into the booth beside Mohinder. I gave him a quick smile, taking in his bruised features. He let out a sigh. "Good to see you are OK, Melinda."

"Thanks. Are you alright?"

"Fine." His eyes glanced towards Molly, who was now pulling Matt towards the table. She sat beside me, Peter sitting opposite Mohinder, Matt beside him and Sam on the end. For a few seconds, an awkward silence descended upon us, until I grew fed up and turned my attention onto Sam.

"You said the others were following, right?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Becky has your purse as well."

"Brilliant." I flashed him a large smile, eyes shifting towards Peter who was still staring at my friend as if trying to decide whether or not to like him. Quickly I made the introductions, finishing with "Sam was at my school. Sam, Peter can...well, he can do what I can."

Sam's eyes flashed with panic, and I sensed what he was worried about.

"It's alright, they all know."

"So you can absorb?" He asked, staring hard at Peter. When Peter nodded, Sam sank into thoughtfulness. "That's pretty cool though...for both of you. I mean, for Mel to meet someone else who can do it...all I can do is fly."

After he spoke, Peter seemed to relax. His lips turned into a small smile, eyes still fixed on Sam though with a softer gaze in them. "Flying saved us." He explained.

"Fire and ice saved me." I chuckled, winking at Sam. "I defiantly need to thank Rin and Eddy when I see them. Anyway, guys, I've been wondering...who the hell is this Sylar guy?"

I expected the reactions I had from my American friends and the Indian doctor; Peter's face darkened, Matt looked away quickly. Mohinder's hands tightened around the glass he was holding and Molly looked scared again. It was Sam who surprised me, however, when his eyes widened and his ears seemed to shift back ever so slightly.

"You never said it was Sylar, Mel."

"How do you know who he is?"

"I know he kills EAs, that's all I need to know."

"Why though?"

"To absorb their powers." Peter cut in, letting out a sigh. I could feel Sam staring intently at me, and I wondered how he knew about Sylar. I stored the information away, ready to ask him later.

"And he's been after Molly for a while." Matt explained. "In all honesty, we were lucky you were around Mel."

"Jesus." I leant back, shaking my head. "I always wanted to come to America. Just never thought it'd involve being kidnapped and almost killed by some psycho EA killer."

We fell into silence, a solemn mood taking over all of us. It was clear to me that Sylar was not a man to be messed with, and the idea of someone like that existing, near to us too, sent shivers down my spine. I sent a silent thank you to God, that we'd managed to get away unscathed, near enough.

"Matt, where are we going to stay?" Molly asked, her eyes fixing on the larger man.

"I have someone working on that now." Matt smiled gently at her. "We'll be OK Molly, don't worry."

I was scared of what would happen next, but all I could do was sit back and hope Matt's someone came through for us.


	8. Chapter 7

Matt's connections paid off, whatever they were, and we found ourselves in a secluded house somewhere in New Jersey, with a garden big enough and private enough that we could make full use of our powers there. For now, until my friends arrived, we had a room each, and I slept, as soon as we got to the house I crawled into bed and slept through until the early morning, when Sam woke me up and led me out into the garden.

Like I said, it was secluded and private, and we went through our usual training routine. We warmed up with a quick game of tag, hovering above the ground as we chased after each other. I always had an unfair advantage over Sam, but over the last few years he'd become an expert at dodging the obstacles I put in his way. Today was no different. I landed and started running around the garden, using my full speed to catch him and tackle him to the ground. After twenty minutes of this, I practised throwing fireballs at ice disks I'd created, having Sam throw them into the air so I could try to hit moving targets.

Peter stepped out into the garden to see the pair of us sitting on the back porch, tired from training but both of us with big grins on our faces.

"I haven't trained properly since the fight." Sam murmured, glancing up to wave at Peter. "I'm going to grab a drink. You want some water Mel?"

"Please."

"Training?" Peter asked, taking Sam's space next to me. I stretched my legs out, burrowing my bare feet in the grass. I nodded.

"Uh huh. It's part of the daily routine at school."

"That's cool."

"Yeah, it's pretty good at getting me used to abilities I either haven't got to grips with yet or stuff I haven't used for a while."

"I kind of trained once."

I closed my eyes, the sun, high in the sky now, making me feel a little sleepy. I smiled at the tone in his voice. "Kind of?"

"With this English guy. He could turn invisible; I needed it, really. Needed to learn how to access the things I could suddenly do."

"What was his name?"

"Claude."

"Claude?" I chuckled, opening one eye to look at him. "Doesn't sound very English."

"Nah, guess not." He glanced behind at the door leading into the kitchen. "So Sam is, what, your training partner?"

Buying myself time to consider his words, I took the hair-band out of my hair, gathered up the long blonde locks in my hands and re-tied it. While doing this, I tried to see if there was any hidden meaning in his words, anything he was trying to second guess. Detecting none, I told myself I was clutching at straws. There was no doubt that I was attracted to Peter, and a small crush had developed over the last few days. But why would he feel the same about me?

I just had to look at him to realise he was out of my league.

Then again, and I chuckled to myself at this, I reminded myself that I could look how I wanted, if I so desired I could enhance my breasts, give myself an awesome haircut and make my hips smaller. I'd done it once before, and quickly got fed up of the teenage boys drooling over me. As far as they were concerned, that day I'd been a visitor, seeing if I wanted to come to the school or not. I only told Becky and Rin, as well as Dr Dust, what I had done, and the boys had been disappointed that the girl had not returned.

Realising I'd been quiet too long, and that Peter was giving me a weird look for the chuckle, I finally answered him. "Kind of. We usually train as a group, me, Becky, Rin, Eddy and Sam. We split up sometimes, and Sam and I usually do end up working closely together."

"I see." I saw him thinking over my words, and realised my mistake when he asked, "Is Sam your boyfriend then?"

"No!" I answered too quickly this time, my body jerking up straight as I avoided his eyes and felt my cheeks burning red.

Despite my appearance changing abilities, I'd never get rid of my body's need to blush whenever certain things were mentioned or asked. I'd never grow out of getting embarrassed by stupid things.

He laughed. "You're not that offended, are you? He seems like a nice enough kid."

Kid. Yeah. Older than me, but still a kid. To Peter anyway.

"I'm not offended." I snapped. "It's just that Sam is like a big brother to me and he and Becky totally belong together, I don't see him like that."

It was all true, though my cheeks still burned and my voice had adopted a higher pitch than usual.

"Just wondered." He laughed again, standing up and sliding back towards the door.

Great, I thought, throwing myself back onto the porch and allowing the sun's rays to reach the parts of my body currently unconcealed. Now Peter thought I fancied Sam.

Just bloody great.

After sitting with Sam for a while on the porch, drinking the water he'd brought out for me, I grew restless. He was dozing on the wooden panelling, eyes flickering open every time I said something. That boy could literally sleep anywhere. I left him to his nap and went inside the house instead. Molly sat at the kitchen table, flicking through a book.

"No school today?"

"Matt didn't want me to go."

I was worried about Molly – she was a lot quieter than usual, and the fear was all too evident in her eyes. It was properly a good idea for her to stay at home today. Mohinder entered the room, giving me a quick, weary smile as he sat at the table, opening up a newspaper.

I wondered if Molly was scared for herself or those around her. Hell, she was properly terrified of the people Sylar could hurt if he got hold of her power.

Still, there was Sam here, and me. Peter and Matt were more than capable of looking after themselves and her, and Mohinder, well, Mohinder in my eyes was approaching legendary status. I just didn't get how someone like him could be so smart. Maybe I was just used to Dr Dust having that extra advantage, but still.

"I'm going for a walk." I announced, and Mohinder's eyes fell on me, scrutinizing me.

"OK – just be careful."

"I will."

I flashed him a large smile, tempted to spark up a fireball just to show how careful I could be. I resisted though, and pulled on my jacket before leaving the house. Anyway, it wasn't like I was recognisable.

It was Sylar we were hiding from anyway. At least, that was what I thought.

Later on I'd find out that Matt had a few of his connections watching the house, keeping an eye out. The problem was, they were there to protect Molly, and watch out for Sylar. They didn't see the 'Smiths & Sons' van that pulled out as I walked past, and I didn't see it either.

Like them, I was keeping an eye out for the power stealer.

As was usual for me these days, I found myself pondering over the situation I had found myself in. Part of me desperately wanted to hop a plane and fly back to London, get a taxi to the school and speak to Dr Dust, drink cups of hot chocolate with my friends, play with the younger kids and exercise in the gym, work on my abilities in the training room. Yet I also wanted to stay here, to help protect Molly from Sylar, for what my contributions to that effort were worth, to stay with Peter as well.

Don't get me wrong, given the choice over going home and staying with Peter, I'd choose home. It wasn't anything more than a little crush on the older man, but I knew I'd be unable to cut all ties with him whatever happened. He had the same powers as me, he could do what I could do, and that meant a lot to me.

Still, I wouldn't have to make that choice. Not yet. My friends were arriving in a few hours and I'd be able to have my cake and eat it too. A corner of New Jersey would contain a piece of London, in my heart anyway, through the form of my friends.

My feet carried me into a small grassy area, not big enough to be a park but it was a pretty enough garden, with a few benches around for people to sit on. I stepped into the garden and felt my blood run cold.

A large beefy man sat on one of the benches, a newspaper open in front of him as he pretended to read. His head rose and his eyes locked on me. Immediately, my eyes shot around and spotted another one of them, leaning against a tree and smoking a long cigarette.

As one, they moved towards me.

"Aw shit."

Instinct fought to take over, heat flooding my body and my fingers inching to release tendrils of fire towards the two men. But I couldn't use my powers, not here. It was surrounded by houses, and although I doubted many would come to my rescue, sod's law dictated that the moment I did anything out of the ordinary I would be spotted.

Second option then.

Run. Like hell.

I turned, starting to sprint out of the garden. I ran straight into another beefy man, grinning at me with a row of teeth in which the majority were missing, showing horrible, bloody gums.

"Not so fast little girl. You can't escape us that easily."

"Bite me!" I hissed, watching with satisfaction as he let out a fairly girlish scream and let go of me, the heat from my body becoming unbearable for his hands.

I ran again, building up speed as I did so.

Something hit me and I tumbled backwards, landing on my arse with a groan. I stared up at the lanky arsehole who had been smoking in the path, his arm held out still from where he'd knocked me back with a clothesline. The hit had me stunned for a few seconds, and before I could do anything the two beefy guys were dragging me towards the nearby black 'Smiths & Sons' van. They bundled me inside, and I was struck by two things.

Firstly, the inside was very posh. Along one side ran a small, two seat sofa. Secondly, Armani was sitting on this sofa, grinning at me.

I let out another groan, feeling the now kind of familiar lock click shut in my mind, blocking my powers and keeping them out of my reach.

"The hell do you want?" I growled, as beefy man one pushed me against the side of the van and forced me to the floor. I crossed my legs, glaring at Armani.

"Now, now. That's not the language a young lady should be using, is it?" He gave me a flash of that smile which made me want to punch him so much.

"I told you already," I hissed, "there is no way in hell I am joining you."

"Then you will be locked in a reinforced high security cell, in a facility much harder to gain access to than the last one, until you change your mind."

I was unable to refrain myself from pouting as I crossed my arms. Again, he gave me that smile, this time full of triumph.

"So, will you work for us Miss Dust?"

"Two words for you mate, hell and no."

"Fine." He let out a sigh. "This pains me to do, Miss Dust."

I watched as he withdrew a very expensive looking phone from his pocket, punched it a few numbers and held it up to his ear. "You can contact him?"

"Who?" I asked, knowing whatever the answer was it could not be good.

"Sylar." He mouthed the word to me, giving me a wink as he returned to the phone. "Good. Then inform him of young Molly's whereabouts..."

"No!" My cry was louder than I had intended, my hand snapped out as if I could reach for the phone.

His lips curled back. "Wait."

My hand dropped as I stared at him, heart thumping in my chest. "I'll do it." I whispered, my body shaking. "I'll work for you. Just please, please don't send him for Molly."

"Forget it." He told the person on the other end. "Stand by for my orders." A click, and he returned the phone to his pocket. He put the tips of his fingers together, watching me like a lion would stare at a gazelle right before it goes in for the kill. "Now, Miss Dust, I should let you know. You will be allowed to live with your friends. Don't want them growing suspicious now, do we?" He chuckled, the sound sending shivers down my spine. "And, of course, they will be protected against Sylar. As will you. The police would not have been able to stop him either. I expect your full co-operation, and of course your silence. We do not want your friends getting the wrong idea, do we?"

I never thought someone's smile could look so predatory.

What had I gotten myself into?


	9. Chapter 8

There were no windows in the back of the van, no clues as to our destination. I had to sit and stare at Armani, flanked either side by the beefy goons while the skinny smoker sat beside me, looking ready to pounce if I so much as sneezed.

It was only when they threw open the doors and light flooded the back that I caught sight of the metal band around his wrist. It caught the light, and I realised it was most likely one of the electrical devices that stopped my powers working.

The goons pulled me out, and Armani lead the way.

In any other situation I would have admired the grounds of the large house we were heading towards, marvelled at the exquisite trees that lined the driveway we had, presumably, just come up. The perimeter was surrounded by a fence, a small guard hut stationed at the entrance, along with a huge gate.

My mind flashed back to the non-ability training class they had given us at school. They called it 'P.E', I was now considering it my lifeline. I braced myself, taking note of the skinny goon walking beside me. He didn't look too strong, and I guessed the main thing with him would be speed or stealth. They couldn't have abilities, they'd be too useless with Armani's bracelet. Beefy number one and beefy number two followed just behind us.

I stumbled, and one of the goons behind grabbed the back of my jacket, pulling it upwards. This was properly the biggest mistake he could have made.

Not long after I had joined the school, one of the older boys, who I later found out was a bit of a bully, saw me as fresh meat. He'd grabbed the back of my jacket, using it to pull me back. The jacket, with the zip at the top, was pulled against the front of my throat. It felt like something was strangling me, and I experienced a flash of pure rage. I'd had to have a talk from Dr Dust about how we did not use physical violence at the school, and I'd apologised until I thought I couldn't talk anymore. I really had been sorry, and as I told her, I didn't really know what came over me. Something similar had happened at a later date when Eddy had accidently pulled me back by the scruff of my neck. I'd lashed out, and gave him a black eye. Lucky for me he laughed it off.

Once more I felt that rage descend on me, felt it take over my body. I whirled around and sent a fist right into the goons face, following up with a knee to the groin. He fell to his knees, tears streaming from his eyes, and I turned just in time to see lanky diving at me. My body was still reacting to the strange strangling feeling, my neck still itchy and feeling not quite right, and adrenaline was still flowing through me. A single punch knocked him back and over, and I just about had time to register the look of shock on the faces of Armani and the other goon before I turned and ran.

"Come on," I whispered to my body, "you can do this. Come on."

I wondered how far I'd have to be from Armani for my powers to kick in again.

An involuntary scream ripped from me as I tumbled forward and fell head over heels into a nearby bush. The branches scratched at me, and I felt them tear the skin on my arms, felt blood on my hands as I pulled myself out. With tears in my eyes and pain all over, I lifted my head and stared, watching as the goons ran towards me. I could see Armani rubbing his hand, wincing in pain and I wondered what had just happened.

They grabbed me, and I offered no resistance, too aware that it was defiantly all over for me. I allowed them to push a cloth over my mouth, and almost relished the feeling of complete exhaustion that now washed over me, sending me to sleep.

As soon as I woke up I groaned. My body was in agony, and I could see angry red welts where my skin was bare. I buried my head back into the pillow, before realising something was not quite right. For starters, I had a pillow. Therefore, I was in a bed. Which meant I was not in a cell, not lying on a cold hard flood again. I turned my head and glanced around. He was lying when he said I'd be in the height of luxury if I worked for them. The bed was a four poster with soft blue curtains drawn around it. My body was covered by possibly the most comfortable duvet I had ever had the pleasure of sleeping in, though every time my arms rubbed against it I couldn't help but hiss through my teeth.

The right side of the curtain was drawn back slowly, and an elderly woman with a lined face and white hair tied back in a bun poked her head through, smiling kindly at me. "I thought I heard you stirring."

Still groggy with sleep, I so far felt unable to answer. I just stared at her as she whipped the rest of the curtain back and placed a bowl on the bed. Glancing inside, I saw it was full of a thick white substance.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, staring at my red arms with concern.

I frowned, not really up to trusting her or anyone else I encountered in the house. "Like shit." I snapped. Her eyes blinked rapidly, shocked by my language, and immediately I felt bad. "I'm sorry I..."

"That's OK." The look of shock was replaced quickly by a smile. "I'm sure you did not mean to offend and I do understand the feeling."

"Who are you?"

A dark shadow crossed over her features, as she brushed a tendril of white hair behind one ear. "Someone whose family is in a lot of danger if I do not work here, if I do not look after you."

"Why me though?" I asked, wondering if I could maybe get some damn answers from this woman.

She shrugged. "Why you?" She chuckled, though there was no humour in it. "Why me? Why anyone for that matter? Why are anyone cursed with these powers, as they call them?"

Her voice was full of bitterness, and I couldn't resist reaching out and laying on hand on her frail fingers.

"They're not a curse." I insisted, squeezing her hand gently. "But they're not exactly a blessing either. They are what you make of them. If there's one thing I've learnt, it's that."

Her eyes creased as she looked at me, as if she felt pity for me because of my words. She let out a sigh. "Rub this cream where it hurts. It should help. There are some clothes in the closet if you wish to get changed. I'll be back with some food."

She let the curtain drop, concealing me once more.

I smothered my bear arms in the cream, felt it tingle and cool my marks. I put some on my neck as well, and dabbed it on my ankles where my jeans had ridden up and the small twigs had scratched at my legs. Satisfied, I climbed out of the bed and looked in the wardrobe. I'd never had so many different clothes at my disposal before – there were t-shirts, different style jeans, crop tops and dresses. Skirts, blouses, even a mix of demure underwear and slutty bras.

Quickly I got changed, dumping my smelly, sweaty clothes on the chair that sat in front of a very expensive looking vanity desk. Now wearing a red t-shirt and some plain blue jeans, I glanced at myself in the mirror, hating what stared back at me.

It wasn't the clothes, and it wasn't the fact that I was now looking at my natural appearance. I'd kind of grown fond of looking like me, I guess. No, it was my eyes. The blue orbs were hateful and accusing as they gazed at me. I'd failed, I hadn't been able to escape and I wondered what my foolish attempts and actions had caused my friends. What if Armani had given their location to Sylar?

As I worried and fretted, there was a knock on the door.

"Err, come in." I muttered, turning away from the mirror and the bitch that I saw within. I was unable to hold back a smile as the woman came in, carrying a tray of food. She placed it on top of a set of drawers, as I muttered my thanks.

"No problem dear. Now, how are your arms?"

"Better, thank you for the...whatever it was."

She chuckled, before her face darkened. "There are guards just outside your door, dear. You should know that it is locked when you are on your own." She rolled her eyes, and something told me she had similar restrictions placed on her. "If you just knock when you are finished eating, they will take you to...well, let's just say you've been summoned."

"By who?" I asked, hoping it wasn't Armani. I didn't want to face his gloating over my failed escape.

"I'm not too sure. Enjoy your dinner."

With that, she turned and shuffled out, leaving me to dig into the small feast laid out for me. When I was done, I rapped on the door. It took them a while to answer it, but when it opened I smiled widely at the goon who faced me. His attempts at a glare were foiled by the split lip and big black eye on his face.

"Aw, you look like you've been in the wars." I commented, stepping out and into the corridor. He led me through the corridors, climbing down a large spiral staircase. Throughout I noticed other goons, some patrolling the halls and others standing in front of doors, guarding them and whoever was contained within.

Jesus, this place really was a prison, despite its magnificent appearance.

I pushed this thought to the back of my mind as the goon gestured to a large set of double doors and grunted.

"In here? OK cheers." I smiled sweetly at him before knocking on the door. The voice of a woman called for me to enter, and in I stepped. I glanced briefly around the large office space, before my eyes settled on a woman sitting behind a large posh desk. Her elbows were resting on it, her fingers knitted together to form a fist just in front of her neck. My first impressions were of a Politician's wife, and my mind flashed to images of Cherie Blair. I raised an eyebrow as I looked at her.

"Good afternoon, Melinda."

"Do I know you?"

A soft laugh came from her as her eyes locked onto me. She disconnected her hands and began to flick through some papers on the desk instead as I watched her. "No, Melinda, you do not. Although you appear to be on very good terms with my son." Her eyes rose, dark and intense. "I am Angela Petrelli."

My hands grabbed onto the chair in front of me as I glared at her. The desire for answers flooded through my body. "You kidnapped your own son."

"Both of my sons have been a great..." she paused, letting out a dramatic sigh, "disappointment to me, Melinda."

"How did Nathan end up in hospital?" I asked, something telling me she was behind it.

"He was shot." Her voice was cold, cruel. "He tried to reveal himself to the world and is now facing the consequences."

"So you were behind it?" I asked, wondering how someone like Peter could have come from a woman like this. "You shot your own son?"

"We do not want ourselves revealed to the world, Melinda. Isn't that something your school teaches? To keep quiet, to stay hidden?"

"The world would react badly to the likes of us." I muttered under my breath, repeating something Dr Dust had drilled into our head time and time again.

"Exactly. I could not allow him to do it."

"Wow." I looked away, staring instead out of the window that looked out onto a large lake. "Such a great mother, to shoot her own son."

"Don't you criticise me!" She snapped, and the slam of her hand on the table as she stood drew my attention back to her. "I have been a great mother to those boys."

"Sure."

"I was proud of them. Both of them." She hissed, spinning a framed photograph around so I could see it. There, smiling up at me was Peter, the arm of a slightly older man around his shoulders. It was easy to tell they were brothers, there were quite a few subtle similarities between them, and as I lifted my eyes to look at Angela once more I realised it was also easy to see how she could be their mother.

Still, part of me refused to believe that this woman could have raised the man I knew.

"So proud that you kidnapped one and shot the other?"

"Melinda..."

"I'm assuming Peter doesn't know it was you."

"Of course not." She cried, a hand going to her breast. "I do not want my son to hate me, Melinda."

"Jesus." I took a step back. "You're sick."

"We should get down to business." Her voice was almost a growl, as she lowered herself into the seat once more. She gestured to the seat opposite, and, still glaring at her, I sat down. "Now, we are currently working on..."

"Kidnapping people?"

"...tracking down those who wish to expose us, and silencing them. Any way necessary."

"What, by shooting them?"

"Firstly, we try talking to them, try to make them see sense."

"Unless it's your own son."

"Unless they are too close to exposing themselves and are therefore putting all of us in jeopardy."

I frowned, crossing my arms. She was ignoring every word that came out of my mouth, but I could see them hitting her with every small flinch she made. "And you want me because..."

"You are an extraordinary girl, Melinda. Even among those with abilities. You must have realised that at the school."

"I wouldn't call it being extraordinary."

"We are sending you on an assignment, Melinda." She picked up a folder that was on the table. "It is my belief that you may be able to talk to these people, to convince them not to expose what we are. And if you are unable to do that, well, you have weapons at your disposal to persuade them to see things as we see them."

"I'm not going to hurt anyone."

"You may have to. Even if it is only in self-defence." Her lips curled back in that similar creepy smile I'd seen on the face of Armani. "Do not even think of doing anything stupid, ether. You will have people watching you, making sure you do your job and do not try to escape. You will, of course, be able to return to that charming house after your first assignment. But be aware, we will be in contact again."


	10. Chapter 9

I'd been escorted to the airport, where I met a man who was tall, wearing a smart business suit and a pair of thin glasses. He met me in the car park, and as the car pulled off he guided me in, sticking at my side but saying nothing as we checked in. He didn't look like any of the goons I'd seen so far, and I wondered if the point was for him to fit in. He did it well enough with light brown hair cut in a simple, normal style. It wasn't long before we were in the air, and I found the whole concept of flying somewhere that was in the same country really weird. I guess I just forgot how big the United States were.

Before leaving the car, yeah, a normal sleek black car this time instead of the van, I had been instructed to change my appearance. Short brown bob, boring hazel eyes and my normal body, easy enough to fit into any crowd.

I just wanted to find whoever we were looking for, talk nicely to them and then get back to the others.

I wondered if they were worried for me; was Molly on my trail? Mrs Petrelli had already told me that I'd be constantly on the move, which would make it all the more difficult for little Miss 'find-all', as she'd bitterly called the young girl, to pinpoint my exact location.

Hopefully I'd be able to come up with a plausible excuse when I saw them again.

I hadn't looked at the envelope I'd been given, and it now sat stuffed into a handbag I'd been ever so kindly loaned for the occasion.

Burrowing my head in a magazine my mysterious and so far silent travelling companion had brought at the airport, I forced myself to read about celebrities I really didn't care about. I was relieved when the plane landed, and due largely to our lack of luggage we were out of the airport fairly quickly.

He ushered me out to a taxi, leant in to the driver and gave him the address of wherever we were going. He then opened the back door and pushed me inside. For the first time, he spoke. "Good luck." He muttered, before slamming the door and walking away. I frowned at his retreating back. That was it? He was just leaving me to do this alone?

Great.

I sank down in the seat as the taxi pulled off, whizzing along the streets. I took the envelope out of the bag and finally opened it.

My eyes scanned the photograph attached to the top of the sheet. It was slightly fuzzy, but clear enough that I could tell my intended 'victim' was female and blonde. By the red and white uniform she wore, she was also a cheerleader. Awesome, I thought, I'd finally get to meet the typical cheery prep I saw in American teen movies. Kind of. I read the small amount of information I was given,

Not too much, I noticed. Just enough to get me through. Her name was Claire, and there were notes typed out about her family. She had a dad, who had 'dangerous' next to his name. A brother, listed as harmless, and a mum, who I was advised to tell I was from the school.

A small bit caught my eye. Unlike the rest of the sheet it was handwritten, scrawled out in cursive writing.

Tell Claire you are friends with Peter.

That was kind of odd, to me anyway. I couldn't help but wonder what her link with Peter was, and my eyes were drawn back to the photograph.

Blonde, pretty, maybe the same age as me.

Surely too young for him?

I frowned at her photo, my heart sinking.

Inwards, I scolded myself. I couldn't let emotions rule over me, not right now. I had a job to do.

Lucky for me, as a black hole was starting to gnaw at me, the taxi pulled over.

"I was told to wait for you?" The driver asked, gazing at me through the mirror.

"Oh, yeah. Please. If you don't mind."

"No problem."

I pushed the sheets back into the envelope and stuffed it into the bag.

I drilled the girls surname into my head as I walked up the path and knocked on the door, shifting the bag on my shoulder. Lucky for me, a woman I assumed to be Claire's mother opened the door, gazing down at me with kind but stressed eyes. Her brown hair was tied back in a bun, and in it I could see a few streaks of grey.

"Hey Mrs Bennett!" I greeted, trying to perfect the chirpy, go getter attitude I assumed the mother of a cheerleader would respond to. "I'm Nicola, I'm in Claire's class at school."

I had considered giving my real name – after all, I didn't officially exist in America. But if they dug enough...I didn't want these people getting into any trouble, not really.

"Oh," her eyes crinkled as she looked at me, "she didn't mention anyone coming over."

I needed a cover story, and quickly, scratching at the surface of her mind, I found one. "I noticed she hasn't been in school for a few days." I tried to sound sympathetic and worried, as the suspicion in her eyes grew. "I just thought I'd bring her some of her homework and see if she was OK?"

"We're moving." She spoke quickly, looking wearily at me.

"Aw no." I tilted my head forward, trying to seem genuinely upset. Hell, maybe I was better at this acting business than I thought. "Can I say goodbye then? Please?"

"She's out." Her reply was quick and curt, and I could tell she was close to dismissing me and sending me away.

A name shot out of her mind. West. Along with it came the image of a good looking boy flying in the air, Superman style. I had to hold back a small smile, reminded as I was of Sam.

"OK, no worries. I'll try to see her before you go, if that's OK?" She nodded and I flashed her another chirpy smile. "It was nice meeting you Mrs Bennett."

"Goodbye, Nicole, was it?"

"Nicola." I corrected, lifting a hand in a wave. I darted down the path and climbed into the back of the taxi, glancing behind me at the house. The door closed, I could see the smallest edge of the curtain lift up. I turned to the driver. "Drop me around the corner. Think you could come back later after?"

"Sure." He shrugged as he started to drive. "Your friend paid me enough." He smiled through the mirror, revealing a set of yellowish teeth.

"Cool, midnight should be as good a time as any."

I needed to give myself enough time to see her, to talk to her. I climbed back out of the cab and started to wonder around, wondering what the hell I was going to do for the next few hours.

It's starting to get dark, and still no sign of her. I think I know which bedroom window belongs to her, and I'm crouched in a bush at the back of their garden, watching it for signs of the teenager. I've seen Mrs Bennett passing in the kitchen window, but now the lights in there are off and I feel confident enough to fly up to her window.

I hover just in front of it, and focus on the window. Telekinesis is not something I've perfected or even like using, it leaves me feeling headachy and dizzy, right now it's no different. Still, I squeeze myself in and glance around the room. Night vision reveals a couple of posters on the wall and a dressing table, make up all over it. Other than a few teddy bears in the corner and furniture, the room feels empty. If it weren't for the posters and make up, seeming to be the few essentials she hasn't packed already, you wouldn't be able to tell there was a teenage girl living here.

I wait, crouched at the window and ready to leap out if someone unwanted enters.

I have a few close calls when I almost leap out on hearing steps pass by the doors, but lucky for me no one enters and I'm warned of Claire's impending arrival by a male voice coming up the stairs.

"Claire, please you can't do this. Even your dad...."

"My dad doesn't know." A female voice hisses back, and I know instantly it's her. "He can't know West. Please, I have to do this."

Their footsteps get closer and as they do, I feel something tingling over my body. An appearance change cannot get rid of wounds, though I can give myself superficial scars and marks if I so wanted to. But now, before my very eyes, the red welts disappear.

The file didn't lie about her ability. Nice trick.

I stand up, as the door open and the pair, talking now in hushed whispers, step in. Engrossed in their conversation neither notices me until Claire flicks on the lights and turns so she faces the window. West steps forward, looking ready to throw a punch, as Claire opens her mouth to either say something or scream.

"No, don't. Sshh." I lift my fingers to my lips. "Claire, I'm a friend of Peter Petrelli."

"Peter?" The name sounds like a lifeline, coming from her, and I lock onto her mind. Jesus, I think. That means Angela is her grandmother. Poor girl. Wait, it doesn't make sense...that means Nathan must be her father, but I just can't imagine the smiling man from Angela's photograph shacking up with the woman downstairs. No offence to her, but they just don't fit. Something isn't right, but before I can delve further I realise I need to speak, now.

"He says hi." I offer, hands in the air. "Your uncle says hi."

She frowns, West gazes at me with the same suspicious expression Mrs Bennett had downstairs. There's another thing; Bennett? So how is Peter her uncle? Unless her mother is...ugh. My head starts to hurt. "What do you want?" Claire asks, and suddenly her thought floats into my mind.

_How does she know Peter is my uncle?_

"Please, you need to believe me. I'm a friend, alright?"

Lightly, I keep my mind open, realising that in order to gain their trust I'm going to need to have an idea of why this whole family, and West, are weary of me.

"How do we know we can trust you?"

There it is – an answer, a way I can convince them I'm on their side. My fingers go to my neck, feeling the new addition to my appearance. I step slowly towards them, turning my neck so they can see the new marks there, the ones I've made to match what I see in West's mind.

I do feel guilty, for deceiving them, but something tells me it's going to be safer if they don't know the truth.

"You're moving, right?" I asked, staring hard at her. She nodded, and I can see a slight glimmer of trust in both of them. "Good. Don't stop. Keep moving. Keep running. Hide." She opens her mouth but I cut her off, raising my hand. "I know, I know. You're fed up of running. But trust me, it's for the best." Then I get it. The flash of a plan in her mind and I realise now is when I need to bring my job into the equation. "I know you're planning to tell the world about you, but you can't." I see him in her head then, her father. But in her mind, beside him, is Nathan. She's adopted. It makes sense, now. "Listen, if you do that then they will use you as a lab rat. They will lock you up and fuck you up."

She lifts her chin, and shining in her eyes I see determination and a desire to go against what I'm telling her. She reminds me of Peter like that, the same urge to do what she sees as right.

I cross to her desk, ask her for a pen and paper. Confused, she rummages in one of the drawers of the dressing table and hands me a pad and biro. I scribble down an address, rip it off and hand it to her.

"Go to them. They will help you. Tell them Melinda sent you, ask for her." I point to the name I've written down. "They can protect you and help you stop running."

"This is..."

"I know it's far." My eyes dart from her to West. Please, I'm begging silently, please listen to me. "But it really is the safest place, for you and your family. For you too, West." I look at the boy now, hoping that if I can convince him it's for the best, Claire will follow. "I don't know how much longer it'll be safe for you to stay here."

"Who are you?" She asks, staring at the paper in her hand.

"Melinda." I manage a weak grin. "Good luck guys." I open the window fully, normally this time, and slip out. As I land, I glance up to see them both standing there, watching me. I raise a hand before sneaking into the shadows and darting to where the taxi is going to meet me. I pray they follow what I said, and that I don't see Claire again. Not while I'm working for Angela Petrelli anyway. I can tell already that woman doesn't care for family ties, and I know next time I see young Miss Bennett I won't be allowed to just talk.


	11. Chapter 10

The taxi didn't take me back to the airport, as I thought he would. Instead I was dropped off outside a small hotel, left along as he drove off. What the hell was I supposed to do now? My travelling companion had most likely expected me back hours ago, and I had no idea how I was supposed to find him. I stifled a yawn, wondering what the time was.

"Did you speak to her?"

The voice made me whirl around, and there he was, peering through his glasses at me from the hotel entrance.

"Yeah."

"Good. Is she OK?" He asked, and although I could spot the real worry in his voice I still wasn't up to trusting him.

"Why do you care?" I spat. Truth was, I was too concerned about Claire myself to be able to answer that. I didn't know if she was OK, if she would be OK. All I could do was hope.

He frowned, before letting out a sigh and rolling his eyes. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards him, eyes darting around before he held his free palm upwards and shot a small jet of water from it.

"Why didn't I absorb it?" I hissed, staring at his hand. When I looked up his frown had been replaced by the smallest of smiles.

"You did." He whispered. "You just didn't notice it. My powers have been weakened, recently. You won't have it very strong either. At least...that's how it works, isn't it?"

I nodded, before pulling my wrist away from him. "So why does that mean you care about Claire?" I spat, bitter and annoyed.

"Because I don't want to see innocent people get hurt." He pushed his hands into his pockets. He stared at me. "Don't you get it yet Melinda? You're not the only ones under threat from Angela Petrelli."

I was taken straight from the airport back to the house. The car didn't linger, and as soon as I climbed out it disappeared down the street. I trudged up the path, knocking on the door when I reached it. As soon as I got in, I decided, I was going to have a long hot bath followed by crashing out on the bed until doomsday.

I was more than startled when Rin opened the door. She stared at me with the strange suspicious look Mrs Bennett had when she saw me.

"Who are you?" She asked, and I could see her fingers stretch out. Clearly she was on guard, ready to freeze me at the earliest opportunity.

"Oh yeah." I put a finger to my hair. "Don't look like me, do I?" I grinned at her, seeing relief wash over her features.

"Mel?" She still didn't sound too sure.

"Yeah, it's me." I winked. "The little orphan girl who you totally freaked out when you came to the orphanage."

She stared at me, until I turned my palm over and formed the smallest of fireballs in it.

"Rin, let me in so I can get back to normal."

She relaxed, stepping to the side so I could get into the house. I glanced in the hallway mirror, returning myself to how I preferred to look, and getting rid of the marks on my neck. She grabbed my wrist and yanked me into the living room, pushing me in without saying anything.

Becky threw herself on me, squeezing me into a tight hug. It had been clear she had been crying, the after-effects were still evident on her face – her eyes were red, her cheeks tear-stained. I hated Angela Petrelli for forcing me to put my friends through this.

Becky stepped back, looking sheepish as she gazed at me. Able to look around the room, I saw Matt watching me from his seat on the armchair. Mohinder was sitting on a stool, Peter stood just in front of the sofa and Sam was kneeling on it, staring over the back at me. Eddy sat on the flood near Matt's feet. All of them were watching me.

"What happened?" Mohinder asked, looking concerned as he watched me.

"I...can I explain later?" I asked, realising how dry my throat was. "I'm shattered guys. What time is it?"

It was dark outside, but with everything that had happened I'd lost all track of time. "Almost one in the morning." Rin explained, laying a hand on my shoulder. "You've been gone for days, sweetie."

I nodded, rubbing my eyes with finger and thumb. As I drew my hand away, I suddenly noticed I wasn't the only one looking tired. They all had dark circles under their eyes, and Eddy was struggling not to yawn. Sam's eyes were half closed as he stared at me.

They hadn't slept, I realised with a start. A rush of love filled me for the mob of people now watching me. They'd been too worried about me, too concerned. I wasn't special, I could only do what they could, but they were special. All of them. Because although I'd only known half of them for a short space of time, they were still looking out for me.

I gave them a wide smile.

"I'm fine, surprisingly. But I do need to sleep, and I think you guys do too, yeah?"

Chuckles from some of them, nods of agreement from others.

"Right so...night guys." I raised a hand before leaving the room, eager to throw myself onto my bed.

Despite the exhaustion that was consuming me, I felt unable to sleep. I sat on the windowsill, staring out into the night and wondering if Claire had managed to get transport over to the UK yet. I rubbed the back of my neck, fingers absently rubbing where I'd placed the two marks. The ones on West's neck had come from some sort of needle, that much I knew. But what it meant...

I really had no idea.

"The girls were going to stay in here with you," I didn't turn at the sound of his voice, but I could see him in the reflection of the window, standing at the doorway, eyes watching the back of my head, "but they've both fallen asleep downstairs."

"I'm not surprised." I muttered, eyes snapping down to the garden as I saw a flash of movement. A rabbit hopped across the grass, properly having escaped from a neighbour's garden. "They both look knackered."

"What happened Mel?"

Even through the distorted image of the mirror I could see the same fierce determination staring back at me that I'd seen in Claire's eyes. "I managed to find out they were going to go after someone." Another lie. "So I got to them first." More guilt.

"Who?"

"Some cheerleader."

"Claire."

It wasn't a question, but I answered anyway. "Yeah, Claire. You know her?" I tried to sound curious, as if I didn't already know the link between them. I turned my body to face him, as he moved to the bed and sat down, putting his head in his hands.

"Yeah she's...she's my niece. Nathan's kid." He closed his eyes for a few seconds, taking a deep breath. "Is she alright?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "She will be." Maybe. Hopefully. Could be. If she followed what I said. "She'll be fine."

His eyes opened, falling on me. "How did you find out?"

"They kidnapped me." I muttered, fingers scratching my neck. "I overheard them and....and managed to escape."

"How?" He frowned, a tired, weary frown. "There was no way we could have got out last time."

"I don't want to talk about it Peter."

He kept watching me, his eyes searching mine, looking for some kind of answer. Bloody hell, I wanted to tell him, wanted to spill my guts out and tell him everything. But then I'd mess things up either more, would risk putting all of us in danger.

"Please Peter, just go. I need to sleep."

"Mel..."

"Please."

I watched as he stood up, moved away from the bed and went out the door. As it closed, I rested my forehead against the glass, closing my eyes as tears leaked from them.

I wanted to go home. I wanted to go back to the school and forget all of this.

A couple of hours later and I still hadn't slept. Now I found myself pressed against the door, listening to the conversation taking place outside. Rin had checked up on me not long ago, and I'd feigned sleep before hearing their voices.

"We were kind of hoping she'd come home today."

"She did say she wanted to." I frowned in the darkness, wondering if I was making up the slight hint of disappointment in Peter's voice.

"Really?" Becky sounded pleased, anyway. "So we can ask her when she wakes up, yeah?"

"Sure. I'll check on her again."

I managed to dive under the covers just as Rin came into the room. I heard her soft sigh before the door closed and I wondered over to the window, opening it to talk to the man who had been waiting for the last half an hour.

"Coast is clear, now. What do you want?" I hissed, ignoring the slowly rising sun over the horizon.

"This is going to be a bit more dangerous, Melinda."

It was starting to creep me out, different people knowing my name, knowing about me and what I could do. I frowned at him. He was different than the guy who'd come with me to Claire's, and was doing a pretty good impersonation of Spider-Man by sitting on the wall. On the wall, against the wall...whatever. I sighed.

"So what is it?"

"This man is going to try to reveal himself in order to gain political power."

"What kind of political power?" I asked, biting on my bottom lip. I wouldn't be going home anytime soon, despite the wishes of my best friends.

"Let's just say that his goals reach further than the President of the United States."

"Right, so not good then. What can he do?"

"Heal."

"Heal? Like Claire?"

"No, he can't heal himself. He can heal others, however."

It was easy to see how someone like that would be able to take control, and I tried to ignore the feeling of dread slowly creeping in. "Alright. Whatever. You got the file?"

"No." He shook his head. "That will come with the transport. You'll be picked up at eleven tonight. Will they be asleep?" I nodded. "Good. Hopefully you'll be able to sneak in and out without them noticing." He let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I don't think you'll get away with just speaking to him this time."

I turned my head away, staring instead at the grass.

"Good luck, Melinda."

Skilfully he pushed himself off the wall and landed in the grass, sprinting away. I watched him disappear as the early morning light stretched itself across the garden.

Closing the window, I returned to my bed. Thoughts whirled around my head, as I tried to work things out. Nathan and Claire had both tried to reveal themselves, both tried to do what they saw as right. They were the good guys, weren't they? Yet someone trying to do the same thing and I had to believe he was evil?

What if he'd just spun me a line to convince me to do this, what if the guy I was going after was one of the good guys?

I groaned, feeling a headache coming on. Lack of sleep was not going to help me.

As I forced myself under the blanket, pushing my head into the pillow, I moaned again.

Everything was turning into shades of grey; there wasn't any black and white, not for me, not anymore.


	12. Chapter 11

When I finally woke up, evening was starting to set in. None of them questioned my appearance near to four, and I had the feeling everyone was tiptoeing around me. I waited for them to ask about going home. Matt had gone to work; Molly was locked in her bedroom. Peter had gone to the hospital and Mohinder was in the kitchen, working on something for dinner. I sat on the armchair in the living room, the four of my friends squashed onto the sofa.

In all honesty, my excitement about them being here had gone. They were in danger, just by being around me. They were at risk. As well as that, it became clear to me that Sam and Becky had finally pushed forward, had hooked up in my absence. None of them mentioned it to me, but it was easy enough to see.

I felt like a fifth wheel.

Despite how much I sickened myself, I had to admit that I felt a strange satisfaction over having my own secret from them. The five of us stared at the television, but I felt them sending glances towards me every so often.

"So Mel," Becky started to speak, sounding chirpy and upbeat, "we were thinking that, you know, we'd go back to school tomorrow, now you're safe and everything..."

"OK." I cut her off before she could continue. If I acted pissed off with them, if they left without me then they would be safer. "See you when I get back then."

Well, that was my excuse anyway.

"Mel!" Becky sounded shocked. "We're only going if you come back with us."

"I have things to do here." I replied, keeping my voice cool and calm, not looking at them, keeping my eyes fixed on the screen.

"Involving a certain Peter Petrelli?" Rin enquired, and I felt annoyed at the neutral tone of her voice. No anger or annoyance, no curiosity. Just flatness.

"You don't get it, do you?" I cried, finally snapping my gaze to stare at them. They looked so cosy, the four of them squashed there. No room for me. "My friends are in danger. I need to stay here until it's all sorted."

"And what makes you so special?" Eddy barked back, obviously pissed off at my reluctance to go with them. I watched as Rin laid a hand on his arm, calming him. Yeah, that's right Rin. I thought bitterly. Be there for your boyfriend.

"Nothing." I stood up now, staring hard at them. "Which is why I have to stay."

With that, I turned and stormed out of the room, taking the stairs two at a time and crashing into my bedroom. There wasn't anything special about me, except for the fact that I needed to work for Angela to make sure no one they sent me after got hurt. If I stayed here, then I could make sure of that. I could keep innocent people safe.

Eleven o clock found me standing outside the house, eyes scanning up and down the road for the car. Uneasily, I glanced at the house behind; hoping none of them noticed I was gone. There was very little doubt in my mind that my friends from back home would realise, wrapped up as they were in each other.

Stop being jealous, Melinda. I told myself. You have more important things to worry about.

I pulled the hood of my jacket up around my head, tucking my long straight black hair in as a car pulled up. I climbed into the passenger side to be greeted by my former travelling companion. He pulled the car away from the pavement (sidewalk, I mentally corrected myself. When in Rome, after all) and nodded to the file on the dashboard. I took it, flicking open to the image of a man in his early thirties with light stubble on his chin. He didn't look scary, or powerful.

"Claire's family moved today." He muttered, eyes focused on the road.

"Good."

"He's going to be more difficult than her."

"Yeah, Spider-Man wannabe told me." I muttered under my breath, part of my mind focused on my task, part still thinking about Becky and Sam. It kind of wasn't fair, I felt. Why could she get the guy she wanted when I couldn't? Not that I thought myself better than Becky. Far from it. But still, the one guy I'd been interested in since...

"Ah, so it was Carl who came to see you." He chuckled. "I did wonder."

I glanced sideways at him. "So what's your name then? You never told me."

"Angelo."

Since...Jesus, when did I last have a crush that wasn't some rock musician? I couldn't remember.

"My family was Spanish."

"Was?"

Another soft chuckle. "Are, I guess. My mother's side anyway. My father is American."

For some reason, the guys at the school had never really interested me. Sam had, kind of, but I put that down to confusing friendship for love at a young age.

"That's cool. I don't know much about my family."

"How come?"

"My parents died when I was younger." I explained, closing the file and leaning back. Why Peter though? Of all people. Maybe it was just because he was the hottest guy I'd ever seen. "I lived in an orphanage for a while. Your typical sob story, I guess."

"Yeah? What was that like?" He asked, sounding genuinely interested.

I shrugged, before starting to discuss the mundane details of my childhood. The conversation carried on in that vein, talking about every day, normal stuff as if this were an everyday, normal business trip rather than a mission to silence a potentially dangerous, ambitious EA.

I was starting to like Angelo; he kept me calm as we approached the house, even made me giggle a few times when he sensed I was sliding towards a mentally bad place. He filled me in on the plan before giving me a change of clothes, and I darted into a nearby garden, hiding as I got changed quickly. I remerged wearing a smart pencil skirt and simple blouse. I slid on the pair of glasses he'd leant me, before darting towards the house.

"Jack Howell?" I enquired, as the guy from the file answered the door and gazed at me dubiously. "I'm every so sorry to call for you so late sir but you see I..."

"Late?" He scoffed, ignoring my sweet smile. "It's gone midnight, kid."

"I know Mr Howell, but if I had come any earlier then I would have had people following me. It is of the utmost importance, sir, that I speak to you and I am ever so sorry for interrupting. It's about your plans for tomorrow you see and I..."

"I'm not changing my mind, not for someone like you." He barked, running a hand over his closely shaven head. "You sent you?"

"It isn't about changing your mind, sir." I explained quickly, rushing to get the words out as I took a quick peek into his mind. "Actually, quite the opposite. I was hoping we could talk about joining forces." I held my palm upwards, and his eyes widened upon seeing the fireball form there. I closed my palm over it. "I was sent by no one, sir. I came of my own accord. But I can tell you I do work for Austen."

His whole manner changed, and quickly he ushered me inside. "Quickly, get in." He whispered, shutting and double bolting the door behind him. I followed him through an expensively decorated hallway, full of paintings and sculptures, until we reached an equally lavished living room. "If you want to join me, what's in it for you?"

Another quick scan of his mind, looking for something which would impress him. "Power." My eyes fell on the television, showing some late night comedy show. As I continued to talk, with every word I felt more and more sick. Disgust filled me at having to lie this much. "With me by your side you really would be unstoppable, and therefore so...so would I." I was starting to falter, and when I looked at him I could tell he no longer believed me.

"Why are you really here kid?"

No more lies.

"You can't do it." I whispered. "You can't reveal yourself or we'll all be in danger."

He scoffed; hand running over his head once more. "Can't I? And what's a little girl like you going to do to stop me?"

I opened my palm, pushed it towards the television and watched the fireball fly through it, scorching it beyond repair.

"I can get a new television." He shrugged. "Like I said, what's a kid like you going to do? Especially when I have someone like Austen behind me."

I turned on him, taking a deep breath. "Please, I don't want to hurt you."

"You have no idea what I can do."

I rolled my eyes, before creating another fireball and pressing it to my arm. I couldn't resist the hiss from my teeth, and I could see the shock in his eyes as he winced. I took my hand away, holding my arm out as the skin healed. "Something like that, right?"

He laughed. "Still going to do it kid."

"Fine." I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. "Have it your way." I was on the verge of sending another fireball towards him when he surprised me by tackling me. I slammed into the wall, falling to the floor. He pinned me down, growling at me.

"My power isn't healing, kid." He hissed. "It's strength."

"That's a shame." I muttered. "Was looking forward to getting something new today." That said, I pushed him off me, watching with a grim smile as he hit the ceiling opposite me, where the wall connected to it. He groaned as he hit the floor, lifting his head and glaring at me. Heat surged through my body as I leapt to my feet, hands close together, heat flying from fingertip to fingertip, building up energy. "What the hell do you think they're going to do when they find out you're basically the Hulk without the whole being green thing?" I could feel it building, along with my angel level.

I was pissed off that the file had lied, that he'd taken me by surprise.

"They'll lock you up." I cried, wishing he'd see sense before I did something I'd really regret. "They'll conduct experiments on you to see if they can take your strength away or utilise it for themselves!"

He climbed to his feet, running a hand once more over his head. I was prepared this time; if he moved towards me, I'd be able to dodge it.

"I'm special." He hissed. "We all are and they should know it. You were right though – if you joined us, you'd have so much power kid!"

"We're outnumbered!"

"We're more powerful!" He laughed, a full laugh that came from his belly and seemed to shake the whole room. "Austen will rule the whole world and I'll be there at his side."

"Nah mate," I frowned, "you'll be in the hospital, wishing you'd listened to me."

Dizziness washed over me – I was burning up, fast, and knew I had to finish this. I shoved everything I had at him; the biggest damn fireball I'd ever made shot towards him, whacking him right in the stomach and sending him through the wall. I felt sick, and this I didn't attribute to the heat I felt. I coughed and spluttered as smoke filled the room before I ran through the hole and stared at him.

He was burnt beyond recognition, his eyes roaming around until they fell on me. He growled, tried to move as I focused on cooling myself down. I used my newly acquired power to send small jets of water onto a couple of burning paintings and the small fire at the edge of the hole his body had created. Once that was done, I doused him down before dialling nine-one-one on his phone. I chucked it to him before leaving the house and throwing myself in the car.

I leant against the seat, breathing heavily.

"Jesus kid, are you alright?" Angelo asked, looking over me. I looked in the rear-view mirror, groaning at the sight of my bright red face.

"I'm boiling." I muttered, closing my eyes. Suddenly, water was being sprayed over me and I opened my eyes to see Angelo's hand hovering over my forehead. A steady stream trickled down, and I smiled my thanks at him.

"What happened in there?" He asked, looking concerned.

"Give me a minute." I didn't usually need to use Rin's power like this, sending signals for cold to run through my body. I did it a lot with the fire, hell that was how it worked. You needed to heat up your whole body. But ice for some reason was different; it was concentrated in the hands, and now I had to try to send the signals up my arms and through my body. "Who the hell is Austen?"

He pulled away from the curb, sighing as he did so. "Your next target, funnily enough. What did you find out about him?"


	13. Chapter 12

We'd all been duped. Angelo got on the phone to one of his superiors, using a hands free kit to explain what had happened as he drove.

"He wasn't the healer." I heard him cry, as I stared out of the mirror attached to the side of the car. "Strength. He should be out for a while...yes. Someone called Austen? Uh huh."

He carried on talking as I noticed something through the mirror. I swore, loudly, causing him to stop the car and pull it over. He whipped the phone attachment from his head and looked at me.

"Mel, what is it?"

"We're not meant to be being followed, are we?" I asked, reaching over to open the door. He shook his head and I clambered out, ready to face whoever this was. I wondered if they too were linked to Austen; maybe he had someone watched Howell?

I'd seen two figures, but as I flew into the air I only saw one. The figure was wearing a dark hooded jacket, and even with my enhanced sight I couldn't see his face in the shadow of the hood. Feeling angry, I drove myself forward and collided with him mid-air, pushing him downwards. The pair of us crashed to the floor and grappled with each other.

Something wasn't right though; he, whoever he was, was clearly trying not to hurt me as I tried to give him everything I got. I had the figure on the ground, my knees either side of him, and his hands were locked around my wrists, stopping me from getting a clear hit.

"Mel stop!"

"Peter?"

In shock I leapt off him, hovering above the ground as I stared. He sat up, the hood falling away, and rubbed the back of his head where it had hit the ground. I lowered myself, feet landing on the tarmac as another figure appeared from the shadows. Sam landed beside Peter, offering the man his hand.

"What the hell are you doing?" I cried, staring from one to the other. What were they playing at? Following me like that, tracking me.

"I saw you leave." Sam turned a pair of accusing eyes onto me as Peter groaned, hands at the back of his head. I glanced at him, feeling bad for what I had done. Still... "What's going on Mel?"

"You followed me?" I screeched, trying to avoid the question. "Hell, I'm surprised you didn't bring Becky with you. You two are inseparable now, right?"

"What's going on with you?" Sam's voice was shaking, scared by my sudden outburst.

I stumbled back, falling backwards onto my arse but a safe enough distance from them as fire burst over my body. It lasted only a second, and when it disappeared Peter was at my side, gripping my hand. "Mel, what happened?" He asked, staring hard at me.

"I...I don't know." I groaned, rubbing my head. Jesus, I'd never been this pissed off before. I turned back to Sam. "Sam, I'm doing what I have to do and...Angelo no!"

I darted upwards, pushing Sam to the ground as a bullet whizzed past. I turned around to see Angelo with a gun, pointing at the spot where Sam had just been.

"They're my friends, Angelo!" I pushed myself off Sam, staggering away from them. Peter looked ready to lunge for Angelo, and I ran forward, grabbing the gun and throwing it towards the car. "Stop it! All of you!" My hands flew to my head as I stared at them, Angelo glaring at the other two as they stared around, confused.

"Mel?"

I glanced at Sam, feeling a stab of guilt in my gut. I'd never left my friends out of the loop before, and I could see the pain in his eyes as he tried to work out what was going on.

I groaned, realising I was going to have to tell them – some of it, anyway. I glanced towards Angelo, frozen as he glared at my friends. "We...we find EAs who are thinking about exposing themselves, exposing us and we..." I paused, keeping my gaze focused on Angelo. I couldn't look at Peter, couldn't see how he was going to look at me when I finished speaking. "We get them not to."

"People like my brother?" He spat, anger flowing in his words. "I actually trusted you and you're doing this?"

"It's not like that!" I turned to him now, spinning on my heels to face him. I needed him to understand, more than anyone else. "I don't shoot them Peter. I talk to them! I stop them going further so they don't end up like Nathan!"

"We saw the guy back there." Sam's voice was quiet, and I hung my head. "He was...what did you do to him Mel?"

"He was going to kill me."

"Dust always told us never to hurt anyone!" His voice rose now, eyes fixed on me.

"She also said we could never reveal ourselves, remember that Sam?"

"Dust?" Angelo's voice drew all eyes onto him. "But...your name...it is Melinda Dust, right?"

"No." I shook my head. "Angelo, I used a fake name. I had to."

"Who are you working for?" This from Peter, and I found myself biting down on my lip.

Aw Pete, if only I could tell you. "Some very powerful people." How was I going to justify this to them if I could barely justify it to myself? "I had to do it Peter. They...they could hurt us. All of us. Badly. And if I work for them they...they're protecting us. Matt, Molly, Mohinder...they're all that's standing between Sylar and them."

Please, Peter. I begged silently. Please believe me.

"And don't do that!" I cried, as Peter staggered backwards from the force I'd used to keep him from my mind. "Seriously. I've got blocks up. You try to dig and you will get hurt."

He groaned, rubbing his head.

"You almost killed that guy, Mel." Sam stepped towards Peter, almost seeking comfort from the older man. "What the hell are you turning into?"

To that, I had no answer.

Angelo led me back to the car after Sam and Peter had clearly decided they couldn't stand the sight of me. They shot off, disappearing out of sight as we climbed into the car. I sank down in my seat, raising my fists to my eyes. "What the hell am I doing?" I hissed.

"Crying. Here."

I glanced over to see Angelo handing me a handkerchief, and with a sniff of thanks I took it, using it to wipe away the tears. "They hate me. Both of them. How can I go back to the house? And he'll properly tell the school and I'll be kicked out and I have nowhere else to go and oh god I'm going to be homeless!"

"You're doing what you have to Melinda." He spoke slowly, carefully. "We both know the risks if we say no. They'll see that you just chose what was the best route. I hate it as much as you do, really, but we know we have no choice."

"They won't see it like that."

"They will. You were brave kid. Why didn't you tell Peter who we worked for?"

I scoffed. "You know it's his mother, right?"

"Yeah."

"It wouldn't help." I rubbed the back of my neck. "And it'd just hurt him even more if I told him it was his mother who shot Nathan."

Angelo frowned as he pulled off. "What was that fire display anyway?"

"I really don't know." I frowned into the mirror, eyes hard and dark as they roamed over the pale face. Sam had been right – what was I turning into?

Sleep was calling to me, and I was almost grateful when Angelo pulled up outside the large mansion. I was actually looking forward to the four poster bed, to not having to face the accusations and stares of my friends. "I'll explain why you're back here." Angelo muttered, turning off the engine before we stepped out of the car.

"Get back in the car!"

The yell came from the spider-man wannabe – Carl – as he ran from the house towards us. Startled, I glanced at Angelo. The man turned and dove back into the driver's seat, right before Carl grabbed me and pushed me towards the back.

I pulled my seatbelt on as Carl instructed Angelo to take us to the house.

"Why?" I asked, sensing the urgency in his voice. "What's going on?"

"Sylar found the house."

It took a few moments for the words to sink in, for me to realise what that meant. I reached over and opened the door, leaping out of the moving car. I could hear Carl and Angelo calling my name, but it was soon replaced by the wind whistling in my ears as I flew upwards.

It would be quicker this way, I knew. The dark sky provided enough cover, and it wasn't long before I could see the house in front of me. I dove downwards, towards Eddy who lay on the lawn surrounded by broken glass. I fell to my knees, checked his pulse. He was alive, thank god.

"Stay there Ed." I whispered. "And hang on, for Christ's sakes."

I darted into the house. The sounds of a fight upstairs reached my ears, crashing and clanging and amongst the noise the sound of broken glass. I spurred myself on, reaching the bedroom faster than I thought I'd even be able to run. Throwing open the door, instinct took over and before I could even take note of the mess the room was in, Sylar had been knocked against the wall with a well aimed fireball. He smashed into it, falling to the floor, and I glanced over to see Peter, panting heavily beside the bed I'd been sleeping in earlier, now smashed to pieces. A cut ran down his cheek, deep and still bleeding.

"Where're the others?" I cried, eyes fixed on him. I didn't see Sylar climb to his feet, but I did see Peter grab the headboard from the bed and throw it at him. I half-turned and watched as it smashed against his body. He laughed, and before my eyes, the burns I'd inflicted healed. "What the fuck!"

"He got to Claire." Peter explained, throwing his hand out and sending a steady stream of fire at him. Sylar was forced against the wall, but the fire died way too soon for my liking. Peter fell against the wall, breaths heavy.

"Don't." I warned, remembering when I'd first had Eddy's powers. "You're not used to it."

I managed to leap in front of him as Sylar send pieces of wood flying towards him. The wood smacked onto my back, causing me to cry out before I threw a fireball at him. He blocked it with his arm, managing to stop it doing too much damage.

"How did he get to Claire?" I yelled, worried about the blonde cheerleader. I became relentless as I sent shot fireball after fireball towards him, keeping him from doing anything else to us, focused as he was on blocking my shots.

"I don't know." He muttered, sending a few smaller fire balls at Sylar.

I didn't know how long we continued like this, but eventually Angelo and Carl burst into the room, taking the sight in quickly.

"Find the others!" I yelled, distracted for a few seconds too long. When I turned back around shards of glass from my mirror were heading towards Peter. Lucky for him I was quick, and they froze in mid-air as I sent a small jet of water in front of them, freezing it as it went.

Thank you Angelo.

He and Carl darted back out of the room, realising I could for now take care of myself.

Peter disappeared, as I leapt backwards and hovered above the debris of the bed. I was in pain from the wood, and now he was sending more glass shards at me. A few managed to break through my ice defence, cutting me, but I knew I had to distract him.

"Alright, you can heal." I spat, picking up one of the bed legs and chucking it hard at him. He groaned as it hit his head, sending him reeling back slightly. "But you need time to recover, right?" I was getting inspiration now from my own body, as I felt the wounds tingling and stinging, healing as I talked. "And you can sure as hell still feel pain." Another piece of wood, which he stopped in midair and sent flying back towards me. I grabbed it, and we started on a weird messed up version of catch as he looked around, watching for signs of Peter while still keeping an eye on me.

_We need to knock him out Peter._

I hoped wherever he was he got the message. "Is Claire alive?"

"Of course." Sylar's lips curled back, revealing his teeth. "She can't die, did you know that? And now I can't either."

The wood came flying towards me, and this time I couldn't stop it. I ducked, lost concentration and fell to the floor.

Hang on, if he couldn't die because he had Claire's powers...

And I had Claire's powers...

And so did Peter...

"I can't die." I whispered, horror in my voice as I looked up at Sylar. For the briefest of seconds I saw a flicker of something akin to pity in his eyes. Oh, wow, he was capable of human emotion.

It disappeared and he grinned down at me again. "There are ways to kill you. But I think it'll be more fun to watch you see your loved ones die."

A small burst of flame behind him, and before he could open that goddamned mouth again both me and Peter had hit him with fire. The blast from Peter was to the back of his head, the one from me managed to hit his face, burning it. He fell to the floor, and this time I knew he really was knocked out.

Peter appeared behind him, eyes locked on me as I scrambled to my feet.

_Where are you?_

_Basement._

Matt's voice filled my head, and without a word to Peter and grabbed his hand and pulled him downstairs, heart thumping in my chest.

A now immortal heart, apparently.

As I got downstairs, I noticed Rin stirring in the wreck of a living room. I stepped in, as she pulled herself off the sofa, groaning as she did so. "Where is everyone?" She asked, her eyes slowly starting to focus. "Mel...where's Eddy?"

"He's here." We turned to see Angelo standing in the hallway, holding the red headed Scot in his arms. "He's alive, don't worry. Will you help me take him downstairs?"

Rin climbed up slowly, approaching Angelo with some trepidation. "It's OK Rin." I whispered. "He's on our side."

"If you say so." She muttered, as I glanced at the man.

"Where's Carl?"

Peter had headed straight for the basement, and I found out that that was where Carl had gone. I nodded, walking in front of Rin and Angelo as we headed for the door under the stairs. It seemed to take an age to get to the bottom of the steps, but I could see why they'd headed down here. Rin bolted the door shut once we all inside, and I glanced around uneasily. Mohinder lay stretched out on the floor, Carl checking over his injuries. Matt sat with Molly, holding her close to his body. She stared at me with wide, frightened eyes, and I felt the urge to go back upstairs and kill that bastard once and for all.

Oh yeah, I reminded myself. He can't fucking die.

Sam and Becky were sitting in the corner, holding tightly onto each other. "Mel. Thank god." Sam sounded genuinely relieved to see me, and I smiled gently at him.

"How're you guys?" I asked, eyes snapping from one person to another.

Gently, Angelo laid Eddy on the floor beside Mohinder, who groaned as he glanced up at me. "Hurt." He managed a weak smile. "But I'll live."

Peter knelt down beside Eddy, started checking over him.

"Lucky those two have medical training." Angelo murmured, and I frowned as Peter glared at the man.

"How did you know that?"

"Because of me." Carl glanced upwards, smiling softly. "Alright Pete, long time no see."

"Carl?" Peter finally took a good look at our apparently mutual friend, and I saw him shake his head. "Jesus."

"Backtrack!" I lifted my hands in the air. "How do you two know each other?"

"We worked together." Carl explained, as he finished tying a bandage on Mohinder. "At a hospice."

"Wow." I gazed at Peter with new admiration. "What, were you..."

"Male nurses." Peter finished, shrugging as if it was no big deal.

"So you really are medically trained." I thought this over. "Huh. That's pretty..." I was going to say cool. Unfortunately I was cut off by the door upstairs flying off its hinges and clattering down the stairs. Holy crap. Not again.

Before I could move, I felt a searing pain under my hairline. I froze, as the pain took over. Staggering backwards, I felt Angelo catch me.

"What's happening?" I gasped, feeling blood trickle down my forehead and into my eyes.

"Leave her alone you twat!" Sam's cries were followed by him throwing himself forward, flying upwards and over the stairs.

"It's Sylar." Peter cried, following my friend up the stairs. Up there, I could hear cries and crashing, Sam yelled out in pain and I heard Peter cursing loudly.

"Sam..." I gasped. "Peter!" This one was louder, as my vision started to blur.

I could just about make out Carl standing in front of me, eyes on the spot under my hairline. "He's cut her!" He hissed. "Jesus Christ." It was the last thing I heard as Carl's face hovered in front of me, before it disappeared entirely to be replaced by darkness.


	14. Chapter 13

My eyes snapped open, my body jerked upwards and before I could even find out where I was I was standing up, looking around. Peter gazed at me from the now battered looking armchair, and my brain clicked. I was in the living room. Good, OK, I knew where I was.

"Where're the others?" I asked, worried and scared. "Peter! Where are they?"

"Calm down." He stood up, stepping towards me so he could put his hands on my shoulders. "They're fine. We're fine. The others are at the hospital."

"Why aren't you there?"

"I offered to stay and keep an eye on you. Carl and....your other friend went to talk to your boss, or something."

"She's not my boss." I sank onto the sofa, putting my head in my hands. Just above my eyes I could feel dried blood, and let out a groan.

"She? They were talking about a guy."

I let out a moan, throwing myself backwards as I realised my mistake. Bugger it. Right, Mel, change the subject, change the subject...

"Why didn't you take me to the hospital?" I asked, almost hoping that the reply would be 'so we could be alone and I could ravish you senseless.'

Hang on; ravish? Did I really just think that? Christ, I'd been reading too many romance novels.

"And say what?" He rolled his eyes. "That you had your head cut open, were attacked by a serious psychopath and although you are now unconscious there isn't a single scratch on you? You were still breathing, me and Carl figured it wouldn't be long before you woke up." He let out a long sigh. "As far as they're aware, Eddy and Sam got into a bit of a fight, Mohinder tried to step in. No room for you in there Mel."

"Guess not." I ran my hands over my face, putting my palms together and touching my fingers to the bottom of my chin as I stared at him. "What about Sylar? Did he get away?"

"Of course he did." Bitter and angry, he let out a short laugh. "He always does."

"Damn it." I hissed, dropping my head forward. "This shouldn't have happened."

"You fought well Melinda, don't blame this on yourself."

I didn't see how I couldn't; I'd been foolish enough to trust Armani and Angela, stupid enough to think I'd be able to leave for a few hours and just come back to a normal house. "You fought well, too." I sighed, lifting my head to look at him. "You know...you should come back to the school with us."

"Really?" He chuckled, and I knew he was humouring me.

I could feel the blush heating up my cheeks as I nodded. "All of you. There are plenty of kids Molly's age, and you could always teach or something...." I trailed off, staring at the wall. I felt a queasy feeling in my stomach, now I'd put the thought out there. I could just picture Mohinder standing at the front of a classroom of EAs, teaching them science and genetics and guiding them through. "The things you could pick up over there Pete, it's amazing. And you'd get all the right training, too."

"Like you?"

"Yeah." I laughed. "I guess so." I wondered if he'd forgiven me for what had happened last night. I sighed. "I'm sorry, for knocking you out of the sky. Didn't hurt you too badly, did I?"

"Nah." He shook his head. "Forget it. Who'd you think we were, anyway?"

"Austen's men."

"Who's Austen?"

"You know what, I really have no idea."

A ring at the doorbell, and before i could say anything Peter disappeared. I saw the curtain being pulled back, before he reappeared at the window. So I could walk through walls, but that was a neat trick.

"It's your friends." A tinge of bitterness in his voice. "Shall I let them in?"

"Hey, you know Carl too!" I forced myself to grin up at him. "Of course you should let them in."

He rolled his eyes before going to the door. Seconds later he came back in, Angelo and Carl at his heels. "Sorry kid," Angelo muttered, "we've got to go again."

"Great." I mumbled, getting to my feet before stretching my arms above my head. Eyes focused on the mirror above the mantelpiece, I gave myself a choppy brown bob and hazel eyes. "Alright, where to now?"

"Howell's place was bugged." Carl was shifting from foot to foot, eyes fixed on me. "We need to get to Austen now before he finds us."

Strangely enough, I didn't feel scared. I just felt kind of resigned. With a shrug, I stepped towards the door.

"Wait." Peter slid into my path. "I'm coming too."

"Like hell you are Petrelli." Carl snapped, surprising me. "Stay here."

"No way!" Peter shook his head. "If you guys are the same people who kidnapped Mel the first time..."

"Not them specifically, but it was our dear powers that be." I muttered under my breath, causing both Angelo and Carl to glare at me.

"...then they wanted me with you anyway. And for some reason I don't fully understand Mel's caught up in this. If she goes, I go too."

My heart fluttered in my chest at this, at the sight of him standing up to the newest additions to my American family. Another blush danced across my cheeks, and I cursed my hormones. He's just being noble, Mel. I told myself. Just being Peter. It's actually nothing to do with you, you know.

"Alright, whatever. We don't have time for this." Carl waved a hand in the air. "But pull that invisibility trick if you're going to come with us."

Peter disappeared, and a couple of seconds later I felt his hand on my shoulder, as the four of us left the house and made our way to the car.

Once inside the car, I forced myself to become more businesslike and brisk. It helped that, despite the fact that I was well aware he was sitting not far from me, I couldn't actually see Peter. "File." I demanded, holding my hand between the passenger and driver seat.

"There isn't one." Carl let out a sigh. "He's too sneaky; we can't get information on him."

"Damn it." I hissed. "Do we have anything to go on at all?"

"No, sorry kid." This from Angelo, before I felt Peter gently take my hand and squeeze it. I smiled at the area where he should be, before focusing my attention on the seat in front of me. A few seconds later, Carl's phone started buzzing.

"The boss." He announced, before glancing at the screen. "Yeah, we've got her. On our way now. I know. Yeah – look, we've got Peter Petrelli with us." A pause, before he let out a sigh. "I know but there was nothing we could...yeah, we will."

"Let me speak." I held my hand between the two seats, and this time the object I asked for was placed into my hand. I had refrained from saying 'to her' – if Peter thought our 'boss' was some mysterious man, let him think that. I was not going to get involved in the Petrelli family's issues, and I sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to tell him that his mother was a cold hearted bitch who had kidnapped one son and shot the other. "An...drew."

"Melinda."

Her voice was curt and cold, although she didn't sound surprised to hear me on the other end, nor surprised that I had called her not just by a different name, but a name belonging to the other gender. Despite how I felt about the woman, she was smart, and I think part of was all too aware I wouldn't reveal her identity to her son.

"Why is my son with you?"

"He's helping us."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Hang on." I muttered, before taking the phone away from my ear. "Peter, boss wants to know why you're with us."

"Thought that was what they wanted?" Came the invisible reply. I smiled to myself. "Seriously Mel, after seeing.....what I saw last night, you really think I'd let you go into this without a bit of added protection?"

My heart flip flopped, as I turned away and put the phone back to my ear. Get over yourself Mel, I thought. It's just a stupid teenage crush.

"You hear that?"

"Melinda you need to get rid of him." She hissed, and I could hear the panic rising in her voice. "You need to stop him going with you."

I sighed. Now she decided to be over-protective? Jesus. "Listen, as far as I can tell we have two guys who can do very little – no offence you two."

"None taken." Carl muttered, lifting his gun up.

"I take that back. Two guys who can shoot. Then we have me – I'm not much of a fighter, not really. I'm not used to combat. Peter, on the other hand," my eyes darted sideways, almost wishing I could see him, "kicks arse. I have to admit, we need him."

"Melinda you must listen to me! This will change everything!"

"And how do you know that?"

"I've seen it." She hissed.

"Shut up you old bat." I growled into the phone, forgetting for the moment that Peter didn't know I was speaking to a woman. Anger had taken over, however. "You're the one who kidnapped him in the first place!"

"That was a mistake!" She screeched, and I found myself wincing from the noise. "Why do you think Hiro Nakumura got in so easily? Think about it Melinda – they came after you, not him."

I froze, hand clutched around the phone.

"You were never supposed to meet him Melinda." She sighed. "Please, I'm begging you....no involvement between the two of you can end up well. For any of us."

"Oh fuck off." I cried, pressing the red end call button and throwing the phone onto the seat between me and Peter.


	15. Chapter 14

Carl explained we were a couple of streets away from the house, before giving us directions to it. He took the mobile from the back seat, before pushing a small device into my hand. Similar to a mobile, but must smaller. Small enough to fit into the palm of my hand.

"Stay here until I tell you." He spoke slowly, carefully, as he slid his gun into his belt. "When I give the order, both of you get to the house and go through the back. Scout it out and find the quickest way to leave, got it?"

"Yes sir!" I cried, saluting him with my left hand. He frowned at me through the mirror.

"This is serious Mel."

"I know." I shrugged, dropping my hand. Truth was, it didn't feel serious. It didn't feel real. Since I'd walked back into the house the previous night and heard what Sylar had to say, I felt like I was living in a dream, or a movie. This was all happening to someone else, not me.

They left the car, disappearing around a nearby corner. I sank down in the seat, clutching the device tightly and listening for Carl's voice.

"What did your boss say?"

"That you shouldn't be here."

"They say why they kidnapped me?"

I wished I could see him. He was keeping his voice neutral and it was hard to gauge his feelings when I couldn't see his expression. I could, of course, try to read his mind, but I didn't want to pull a 'trick' like that on Peter. I was too scared of what I'd see there.

I wished I could disappear, too. At least then he wouldn't be able to see the battle currently raging on my face as I tried to decide whether or not to tell him the truth. "You weren't supposed to be taken." I whispered, staring at the device in my hand. "Only I was." Why though? That was the part I couldn't understand. Why me? Why was I so goddamn special that they crossed the Atlantic to get me? Fuck Angela Petrelli, I decided. Fuck her and fuck not telling him the truth. "Actually," I took a deep breath, "we were apparently never supposed to have met."

In my mind I could kind of see how he'd be looking at me; that one eyebrow raised, eyes full of questions, determined and searching. "So someone messed up?"

"Big time."

"You know what, I'm kind of glad they did."

I felt his hand take mine, squeezing it gently, and my heart started thumping so loud I thought he might be able to hear it. I stared at my hand, where I could feel his thumb stroking the back. Ok, keep calm Mel, just keep....

"Now."

The voice came from the device, loud enough that it startled Peter. His hand disappeared, and I could have screamed at the injustice of it all. I wanted to stay here with Peter in the car where it was safe and I could ignore the warnings of Angela, now ringing in my ears.

"Come on." I muttered, sliding the device into my pocket before climbing out of the car. I shot upwards, hovering above the rows of houses until I spotted it. "Peter?"

"Here." His voice came from my right, and I found myself addressing the space.

"OK, good – so, err, shall we fly around to the back of the house, I go right you go left sort of thing, and then meet at the back?"

"Sounds good."

"Alright well, whistle when you see me?"

"Sure thing."

"Cool." I gave the air a quick smile before flying off. I was getting more and more used to addressing an invisible man, and I wondered if maybe I could find someone invisible so I could do it too, that would pretty handy. I flew over the house, landing gently on the roof and walking along the right side of it, glancing downwards. No one at the side. Good.

I reached the edge, leaning over to stare at a lush garden, a large swimming pool taking up almost half, the rest containing possibly the greenest grass I had ever seen. A few bush animals stood near the fences – I spotted an elephant and a lion before I drew my attention to the three men standing near the pool.

They looked pretty pleased with themselves as they smoked, of all things, cigars. The smell wafted upwards, pungent and strong. I frowned, wondering if any of them were Austen or if they were simply his guards.

"Mel."

I almost screamed at the disembodied voice coming from my side, managing to stop myself just in time.

"I thought whistling would attract too much attention."

"Good point." I stepped back slightly, rubbing the back of my neck. "Find anything suspicious?"

"Look on the table next to them."

Inching forward slowly, I once more looked down at the three men. Small guns sat on the table, along with an overflowing ashtray. I frowned. "OK, so that would most likely make them guards."

"Looks like it."

"So we need to take care of them...think we can get in without attracting too much..."

A gunshot rang out from inside the house, I froze, watching as the men threw the cigars into the ashtray and picked up the gun. One of them ran inside the house before I could do anything, but the other two were a bit slower.

"Attention."

Before I could figure out what to do next, the table went flying through the air towards one of the men. His partner leapt on him, pushing him out of the way, and I heard the table smash into the house below, just out of my sight. I jumped forward, flying headfirst towards one of the men. He gazed up at me, looked scared for the briefest of seconds before he raised the gun.

The bullet went through my shoulder, knocking me off course and sending me reeling backwards. My body hit the wall, and I found myself on the floor before I could blink.

Something attacked the man – that something being Peter – and I watched as he tumbled to the ground, trying to battle with an invisible foe. It looked very strange, the man grappling with the air.

The other man ran towards his partner, forgetting me for the moment. I let out a hiss as I felt the strange tingle that meant the wound was healing over. I lifted a palm and sent fire towards him. The ball hit him square on the back, pushed him forwards and there was a horrible slam as his body fell onto the panelling that surrounded the pool.

My hand fell to the floor, feeling something wet and sticky. I picked up the bullet that had gone through my body and pocketed it, figuring it'd make a nice souvenir.

The guy I'd managed to hit was now scrambling across the panelling, going for his gun. I began to run towards Peter, sending a quick burst of fire at the man. He rolled over, dodging the flames, and his hand connected to the gun.

"Mel!" Peter screeched and I turned my head just in time to see him press the trigger, the bullet flying towards my head.

I was vaguely aware of Peter reappearing and sending the man he was fighting with into the air. I was transfixed – would I survive a bullet to the head? I didn't want to know but I couldn't move, my feet were not listening to my brain. Now I understood what made deer stare straight into the headlights as a car came towards them. Pure fear had me frozen solid, unable to move. It was like time had slowed, and me along with it.

I went flying as Peter's body crashed into mine. Two thumps signalled my back hitting the ground and the man's body as well, a loud crack along with it. The bullet flew past us, hitting the house and before the man could shoot again I'd sent a fireball into his chest. He went backwards, a splash letting us know he'd gone into the pool.

There was blood pooling around the other's head, not too far from me. I could feel Peter's chest above me, and I turned to see his face extremely close to mine, eyes panicked and scared.

His hands were either side of my head, and I realised that this close he looked even better. This close, I could see every imperfection on his oh so perfect face. Small pockmarks on his cheeks, scars left over from teenage acne maybe, and a miniscule cut under his eyes. I watched, transfixed, as a bruise just in front of his ear healed over.

"Are you alright?"

"I'll heal."

I whispered, feeling anything louder would be breaking the spell that seemed to have washed over me. I was alive. And for the first time in my life...

Jesus, was I really thinking that?

For the first time in my life a guy's body was on top of mine.

I scolded myself; this was not the time to be thinking like that, to think about how good he smelt and...

Another gunshot made him leap upwards, hand outstretched towards me. I took it, and the pair of us ran into the house. We passed the third guard in the hall, blood splattered across the wall and a hole right between his eyes. We didn't linger to look properly, but raced towards the living room. I skidded to a stop as we got in, staring at the sight before me.

A tall man with a clean cut of white hair stood in front of me, back towards the entrance. On the wall opposite was Carl, attached to it with his ability, a gaping wound in the centre of his chest. Blood tricked from it, his head lolled forward. I drew my eyes downwards to see Angelo sitting beneath him, panting heavily as he held his hand to his shoulder. Another bullet wound was at the top of his leg, and I felt like I was going to puke.

"Ah good, so you're here. Finally."

He whirled around, and I had time to register a pair of shocking blue eyes as he pulled the trigger. I forced myself not to react, to only gasp as the bullet lodged itself into my shoulder.

"Yeah mate," I gasped, wincing as the bullet fell out and the wound healed, "that kind of doesn't work on me."

He looked surprised, staring at the spot where the wound had been seconds before.

"You've met the cheerleader." He muttered, eyes crinkled as I rolled my eyes. They fell on Angelo, who despite everything, despite the clear pain he was in, was smiling at me.

"Is that what you call her?" I asked, rolling my shoulder back. Peter had disappeared before we even got into the room, and I wondered where he was. "Because, you see, I call her Claire. You know, her name." I watched as he raised the gun again, before I sprinted forward and caught his arm, wrenching it behind his back. The gun rose in the air, and I knew Peter had caught it. Cheers, Pete. "You really should learn to treat your guests better." I pulled his arm, causing him to hiss in pain. "You know, if someone comes knocking on your door you really shouldn't kill them and pin them to the wall, it's just not polite. You got that you cock sucking bastard?"

I put my free hand against his back, and heard the hiss of scorching flesh. He let out a cry and at the same time I heard Angelo moan behind me.

Austen really wasn't as scary as they'd made him out to be.

Except for the whole, you know, killing Carl bit. But he'd used a gun for that, and pinning him to the wall, although sick, was a result of Carl's own powers, not something Austen could just do.

"Peter," I called into the room, "take care of Angelo."

I allowed the heat to grow, and ignored the loud cry Austen now released as fire went from my hand and raged through his back. He struggled in my grip, but I squeezed tighter, holding onto his wrist. As I watched, the t-shirt burnt followed by his flesh. The smell rose into my nostrils, and I resisted the urge to retch.

"This is for Carl." I whispered in his ear, as he let out one more piercing yell. His dying cry and the hole grew larger. The space around it was black and burnt, and finally he fell forward, limp in my arms. I let him drop, ignoring the sight of burnt organs inside.

"How is he?" I asked, throwing myself down beside Angelo. Peter materialised, his hand trying to stop the bleeding from the shoulder wound.

"He's...not good."

"Don't worry about me kid." Angelo turned his eyes onto me, smiling gently. "You did well."

"Thanks." My voice was weak as I took his hand, squeezing it. "Listen, you're going to be OK alright?"

"Melinda, I'm not." He rasped. "It's been a pleasure working with you."

"Hey, hey now don't talk like that." I could feel the stinging behind my eyes that meant that tears were going to be arriving very soon. I ignored the blood dripping down from Carl's body into my hair, as Peter did his best to help my colleague. "We'll still work together, Angelo. We have to. Can't imagine flying across the country with anyone else."

He chuckled, coughed and closed his eyes. "Peter...look after her, alright?"

"Don't say that!" I cried, squeezing his hand harder. "Don't, Angelo! You're going to survive." I was too fond of him for him to just leave me now. We should have got inside sooner, should have stopped this. I could feel Peter's eyes on me, brimming with sympathy. Angelo took his hand from mine, pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to me.

"Don't cry kid."

"Peter, call a hospital or something!"

"No hospitals." He leant his head back. "Trust me kid – I'm expendable."

"Like hell you are!"

His eyes turned to look at Peter. "Make sure she knows, alright?"

"Knows what?"

"You'll see." He let out a shudder, and I realised how every breath seemed to rattle his body. Peter stepped back. "I'll make sure to say hi to your folks, alright?" He chuckled again, closed his eyes, and I found myself screaming, yelling at him.

Moments later, Peter checked his pulse.

"He's gone Mel."

"No!" I wept. "No, he can't be."

His hand was still on his shoulder, and gently Peter prised it away, revealing to me what Angelo had been hiding. There was another bullet wound, and I found myself staggering backwards.

"What..."

"It pierced his lung. He didn't want you to get distracted."

"Damn it!" I cried, leaping up and making my way over to Austen's body. I kicked it, hard, watched as it turned over and his once striking blue eyes, now dull and lifeless, stared up at the ceiling. "You bastard!" I screech, going for another kick.

"Mel no!"

Peter's arms gripped me, wrenching me backwards as I sobbed. He held onto me, turning my body away from the dead ones in the room.

"Mel...that wasn't Austen."

"What?" I broke away from his grip, feeling heat flood my body. "Are you serious?"

"It was a decoy. Angelo told me."

"A de...they died for a decoy?" My voice was rising in pitch, and again heat scratched at the surface of my skin, itching to get out. With Eddy's temper, how did he stop this from happening? Before I could calm myself down, I felt the same blast I'd had on the road.

"Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm not all bloody right!" My hands flew to my head, and I felt water trickling from them as I tried to cool myself down. "It's too messed up!"

He opened his mouth, and was silenced by the buzzing that came from Carl. The pair of us gazed at the body, before I flew upwards and peeled him off the wall. A horrible sticking sound came as I managed to get him off. I lowered him to the floor, placing the body down gently before taking the phone out.

Boss flashed up on the screen. "They're dead." I tried to stop the emotions coming through my voice as I gripped the phone.

"I know." Angela's voice was soft, strangely gentle. "I'm sorry Melinda. I know you were getting close to Angelo."

"Let me guess," Using my free hand, I rubbed my eyes with my thumb and finger, "it's because Peter came, right?"

"Yes." She sighed. "Is Austen dead?"

"It was a decoy. He..."

Before I could say another word, the phone was snatched from my hand. I stared in shock as Peter spoke venomously into it.

"Whoever the hell you are," he hissed, "I swear to God if Melinda gets hurt doing any of your dirty work I will personally find you and make sure you can't touch anyone again. You know who I am; you know what I can do. So I'm letting you know now that this isn't a threat; it's a warning."

His chest heaved up and down as he held the phone, eyes narrowed. After a few seconds, he took it away from his ear and held it out to me.

"They're gone."

Slowly, I reached out and took the phone from his hand, sliding it into my pocket.

"Come on." His hand fell onto my shoulder. "Let's get the hell out of here."

I nodded, biting my lip. Poor Angela. Despite how much I hated the woman, I couldn't bear to think how much it must have hurt to hear those words coming from her own son.


	16. Chapter 15

It was kind of depressing going back to the house. I was so used to it being full of people, full of life, that seeing it with the lights turned off and no one inside almost brought me to tears. Almost. I didn't say anything to Peter as I dragged myself upstairs and went into my bedroom. I swore under my breath upon seeing the wreck. I'd forgotten that I'd be unable to sleep here. Pieces of the bed were scattered around the room, stained with mine and Peter's blood. I left, and went into Molly's room instead. I crawled under the duvet and stared up at the ceiling.

I had never been a religious person. The orphanage had taught us Bible stories and encouraged us to be 'good' people; they covered different religions, too, but most of the kids were non-responsive to this. I don't think the people there really expected much. How could they expect a bunch of children with no parents to believe in any kind of just and kind God?

Still, they tried, and when I moved to the school I was exposed to even more religions. They taught snippets of R.E there too, but the school itself was so all-inclusive that they couldn't cover everyone. We got our education on religion through talking to different people. I'd discussed God with Muslims, Atheists, Catholics and Protestants. I'd sat up late in the night with one of the teachers who happened to be Sikh. I'd spoken to guys who explained the basic principles of Wicca, Satanism and who were, themselves, Pagans.

Still, I'd never fully believed in anything myself.

So why did I suddenly find myself praying?

I didn't get up and pray, or put my hands together like I'd seen others doing. Instead, I shifted myself slightly and focused my eyes on the ceiling above me.

"I don't know if there's a special trick to this, or anything, to make sure you hear me. Hell, I don't even know who I'm talking to. I just need...I'm hoping there is someone up there, that's all I guess. And you might ignore me or not hear me, I'm sure there are plenty of people who actually go to church asking for your help right now." I paused, sighed and carried on. "But...but if by some miracle you actually hear me, if my voice manages to make it up there with thousands of others then I'm asking you, please help me get through this. Let my friends get through it, too. Even if I die, make sure they don't. And guide me home safely, I guess. With us all intact."

I buried my head under the covers, sniffing as I did so. I didn't want to ask for anything else. I didn't have the right too. Not after what I'd done.

"Hell, you're properly going to ignore me even if you can hear me." I muttered into the pillow. "After what I've done, anyway."

After a while I managed to drift off, but it wasn't long before my eyes snapped open and I found myself feeling wide awake. With a groan, I left the room and went downstairs instead. I was surprised to see Peter at the kitchen table, arms folded under his head. I smiled to myself. He looked so peaceful, eyes closed and mouth slightly open. His back rose and fell gently, as I stuck around the kitchen, determined not to wake him, and found some herbal tea. I could have killed for a proper cup of tea, but in a house of Americans it was difficult.

As soon as I got back to the school, I vowed, I'd get Becky to make me some tea. She always made the best cuppas, and I found myself smiling at the thought as I waited for the kettle to boil.

It let out a hiss when it was done, and I swore under my breath at how loud it was. I glanced towards Peter, afraid I'd have woken him, but no, he was still out of it.

I took my mug into the living room, settling into an armchair and staring out of the window.

* * *

"Mel?"

Peter's voice, sleepy and tired, drew my attention away from the rising sun. I managed to smile at him, though even that seemed to take a hell of a lot of effort. He rubbed his head, yawning as he did so.

"Did you sleep at all?"

"A bit." I was still holding the mug in my hands, now empty, and my eyes watched as Peter fell onto the sofa.

"Are you alright?"

I mumbled in reply, watching as his eyebrow rose and he frowned.

After a few minutes of silence, I decided to ask him something that had been on my mind most of the night. "Peter, have you ever killed someone?"

He didn't answer me; instead he leant back and closed his eyes.

"Am I to take your silence as a yes?" I asked carefully. He nodded, still remaining silent. "Then....then how do you get rid of the sick feeling at the pit of your stomach?"

I need an answer, Pete. Please, just tell me.

He opened one eye, and through it I could see pity and fear and concern shining. "I don't know Mel."

* * *

For some reason, the death of the man outside the house hadn't registered as much as the death of the Austen-decoy. I didn't know why, but with him...well, it had been self-defence, hadn't it? I would have died if I hadn't got him first. I pushed that thought from my mind. For starters, Austen had tried his best to kill me, too. And secondly, well, I couldn't die, could I? At least, as far as I was aware. I stared at the bullet in my hand, turning it over in my fingers. So what was so different about decoy-Austen? I toyed with the idea that the fireball hadn't meant to kill him, had only meant to injure and not cause lasting damage. After considering this, I realised it wasn't true. No, I realised, it was the control I'd had. I'd been fighting the man, he had a chance. Kind of. With decoy-Austen, I'd shown no mercy, no compassion. I'd burnt him from the inside out.

Not long after Peter had woken up, I returned to Molly's bedroom to try to sleep. But every time I closed my eyes I was back in that room, holding decoy-Austen as my palm pushed against his back. I heard his dying cries over and over again, and with the warped view that dreams had, there was a strong contradiction in the way Angelo silently died beside him, but still behind me. I could see them both, and I could see the life draining from their eyes, over and over and over and over and over again.

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly, waiting for them to adjust fully to the light. I blinked a few times, trying to focus, before my eyes landed on Peter. He'd been shaking me until I woke up, and now he stood a couple of inches from the bed, watching me with worry.

"Sorry – you were yelling in your sleep. I could hear you from downstairs. Thought it might be best to wake you."

I nodded, pulling myself until I was sitting upright. "Yeah – thanks. Didn't even know I'd been asleep." I waited for my head to clear, as he sat down in a small chair near the desk in the room. "Any news on the others?"

"Mohinder is being released tomorrow. Matt and Molly are staying with him until then. Think your friends should be out the day after, or later tomorrow."

"Good." I let out my breath; feeling like a weight had been taken off my chest. "Good." I repeated, lifting a hand to rub my neck. I groaned when I felt that my hair was longer.

"What's wrong?"

"My ability. It usually holds during my sleep."

He chuckled, a twinkle in his eyes. "You look fine Mel."

"Yeah, whatever." I rolled my eyes. "I know you're just saying it to be nice, Pete. But I don't know what's up with it."

"Maybe your dreams disturbed them?" He mused, a half smile on his face. "And I meant it, Mel. I meant what I said yesterday too. If you're hurt because of them..."

"I won't get hurt." I cut him off. "I've got Claire's ability, remember?"

He pulled the chair closer, his hand reaching out and brushing my hair back. "You can be hurt more than just physically, Mel." His voice was soft and gentle as my eyes dropped. His hand lingered on my cheek, his thumb running down along my jaw line.

"I'm scared Peter." I whispered, lifting my eyes up to look into his. He leant forward again, planting the softest of kisses on my forehead. Before I could react, his lips were locked onto mine, his hands either side of my face.

His lips were soft and gentle and I found my body relaxing, instinct guiding my hands to the back of his head.

His tongue pushed my lips open, as his hands trailed down my neck, my shoulders, coming to a stop on my waist as his body pressed forward ever so slightly.

"Peter! Mel!"

In a flash, Peter was on the other side of the room, his lips and cheeks bright red as he stared at the door. I bit my lips; now soft and supple. Great, my first real kiss and Rin had to disturb it.

"I'd better..." I gestured towards the door, eyes glancing briefly at him to see him rubbing the back of his neck. He made no noise, just nodded and I found myself scrambling up, leaving the room quickly. I got to the top of the stairs and saw Rin standing at the bottom, supporting Eddy, who carried with him a pair of crutches. I felt a smile burst through at the sight of them, Eddy slightly bruised and battered but still OK, Rin just grinning up at me with a sparkle in her dark eyes.

I bounded down the stairs and found myself throwing my arms around her, hugging her closely. I heard Eddy chuckle, and when I broke away he was leaning against the wall, eyes half closed.

"Sit down Eddy; I'll make you a cuppa."

"Cheers." His smile was broad as me and Rin helped him through to the living room. "I've been dying for a proper coffee."

I laughed, watching as he lowered himself onto the sofa. Rin followed me through to the kitchen, and moments later we heard Peter's voice from the living room. "Hey Eddy – how you feeling?"

I put the kettle onto boil, and turned around to see Rin staring hard at me, her arms crossed and her lips pursed. "Alright Mel, spill." She commanded. "What happened with you and lover boy?"

The spoon I was holding fell and clattered onto the table. I grabbed it quickly before digging out the coffee and sugar. "How come Eddy's out early?"

"He was fine, no point in him staying. They said he just needs plenty of rest. Don't avoid my question Mel."

With my back to her, I focused on preparing Eddy's coffee. "What makes you think something has happened?"

"Puh-lease." She laughed. "I can read you like a book Mel! Plus you've had twenty four hours alone together so..."

"Not really." I mumbled, putting the spoon down and leaning on the counter. Flashes of images, of Angelo silently dying and Carl stuck against the wall filled my head.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her tone becoming more serious and worried. She was right; she really could read me like a book.

The kettle gave a hiss, and I took it off, tilting it to fill the mug. My hands were shaking, a few splashes missed and I was grateful when Rin took the kettle from me and put it back down. Her arms enveloped me, forcing me into a hug. I buried my head in her neck, unable to stop the small sobs that now broke through me.

"Oh baby girl; it's alright. Sush now, it's OK."

It seemed fitting that the girl who had first found me, so to speak, who had first looked after me when I'd come to the school and found it overwhelming and scary and didn't know how to deal with it, should be the girl looking after me now. Rin had adapted as a small child from Japanese culture and learnt English customs, she'd then helped me adapt to the shock of the school. Now, both of us were adapting to living in a different country and I found herself teetering on the edge. I knew, out of anyone, Rin would be the best equipped to hold me back.

"Mel," I watched as Rin finished making the coffee, "I'm going to take this into Eddy then I'll be back, alright? You can tell me what's happened."

"Yeah." I sank down into one of the chairs and waited for her to return. When she did, she took two mugs out.

"I'm not going to make you coffee, honey." Rin muttered. "I don't think you need it right now. Is herbal tea alright?"

"Yeah, fine."

She placed the two mugs on the table before sitting beside me. Her hand fell on mine, squeezing gently. "Tell me what happened."

I knew she wouldn't understand, not fully, unless I told her everything. Right from when I left the school up until now. So I recounted the tale, telling her about the cells and Armani and the offer of recruitment, leaving no stone unturned until I reached the part where her and Eddy had come in. Most girls, I knew, would have dived in and asked questions about the kiss. Not Rin though. She was too mature, too knowledgeable for that. She waited until I finished, and I found myself warming the tea up.

It seemed so terribly British, so very English of us to be sitting here discussing things over cups of tea. It made me chuckle, and Rin giggled when I conveyed this thought to her, before we fell into silence. She stared at her mug, taking in what I had told her.

It was a lot to take in, I knew that. The deaths I'd caused, Peter's mother being behind it all, her warnings for me to stay away from her son and my fear that Angelo and Carl wouldn't have died if I'd listened to her. But I couldn't stay away, not now.

I'd convinced myself for so long that it was just a crush, just a silly school girl crush, but it was like that kiss had got rid of any desire to kid myself for much longer. For so long I'd told myself Peter would never see me in that way.

"Have you told him?" She asked, lifting her eyes from the mug. "About, well, your boss saying you two should stay away from each other?"

"I told him we should never have met, according to her." I spoke slowly, carefully. "But...I get the impression he'd do the opposite of anything my 'boss' says."

"What if he knew it was his mother?"

"Maybe he'd be more determined to not listen." I sighed, putting my head into my hands. "I don't know....I don't even know what kind of relationship he has with her. And it'd seem awfully strange if I started asking questions about it now."

"Well, you're stronger than most girls."

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning at the tea.

"Most girls would use any trick in the book to get Peter to like them, including telling him they should stay away from each other, if they thought he'd do the opposite. Hell, even I can see how good looking he is."

"Don't let Eddy hear you say that." I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck.

"And you have the ability to change your appearance to suit you; I've always said you've done well to not use that to your advantage, especially when it comes to guys."

"Dust said that to me once. You know it was her who suggested I pull that trick before?"

"The guys were gutted." She smiled, remembering the 'trick'. "Anyway, Eddy knows better than that. He knows I'm in love with him, but a little bit of eye candy doesn't hurt now and then."

She winked at me, and I found myself giggling slightly, just as Peter strode in. He glanced at us before asking "What are you two talking about?"

Our eyes locked, and at the same time me and Rin both replied with "you", before bursting into fits of giggles. Peter looked confused as he looked at us, and I think it was safe to say he missed the joke.


	17. Chapter 16

I wasn't the most observant of people, but it wasn't hard to miss Molly's presence in the house. Mohinder and Matt refused to reveal to us where she had gone, saying simply that she was somewhere safer. We managed, between us all, to get the house back into a liveable state, and in a few days it seemed that things had settled down, had returned to normal – well, as normal as life got here, anyway.

Still, I missed Molly, and it was clear I wasn't the only one.

Added to this, Peter avoided me. Kind of. It wasn't obvious enough for anyone else to notice, but sometimes when we with the others, his eyes would catch mine and we'd share a kind of secretive smile. But he refused to linger in a room in which it was just the pair of us, something which Rin tried to make happen as often as possible. I could have killed her for her attempts at matchmaking, yet at the same time, I knew she had my best interests at heart.

She knew we needed to talk, yet neither of us seemed able to start any kind of conversation with each other.

I felt thankful when I heard Nathan had woken from his coma, and I found myself praying once more, this time sending heartfelt thanks up to whoever watched over us that we were all OK.

Nathan had returned to his own home, needing peace and quiet – something he would not be able to attain here.

I was glad to have Becky and Sam back, and the five of us from the school trained almost daily, tuning our skills and helping Eddy and Sam recover from their injuries.

It wasn't until the boys had been home for almost forty-eight hours that I decided to see if the Austen-decoy was perhaps the man who had the power to heal others.

Either he didn't have it, or I didn't use it. Either way, when we trained it meant Eddy had to stay stationary, sending small fireballs at Sam as the flyer darted around the garden, both being careful of Sam's now bad arm. Rin tried to hit Becky with sheets of ice, and the younger girl ran around the garden, changing direction every so often while I teleported from one end to the other, soon getting used to the feeling that came with having your body disintegrate and reappear in a different spot.

During one of these sessions, Mohinder came out and watched us from the porch. I teleported beside him, falling onto my arse and glancing up at him. "You kay?"

He grumbled something in response, eyes fixed on my friends as they conducted the mock battle. I knew he was hurting, knew the lack of Molly's presence had properly affected him the most. He had very little to keep his mind away from the small girl, and all I could do was try to draw him into conversation.

"You're a geneticist, right?" I asked, listening to the barely audible noise that I took as a yes. "That's cool. Where do you work?"

"The loft." He muttered, eyes tracking Becky's quick movements. "The loft!" He cried this slightly louder, before darting inside and starting to throw some things into a bag.

"Mohinder?" I watched his seemingly frantic movements. "What are you doing?"

"Going to the loft. My laboratory." He replied. "Do some work."

"Keep your mind off things?" I asked, running a hand along the dusty counter. This place could do with a clean, I thought. Mohinder had kept it nice and neat before Molly had gone.

"Yes." His eyes fell on me as he stood in the doorway. "Do you want to come?"

I thought over the question. Matt was at work, Peter was visiting his brother in the city, and my friends were preoccupied. "Sure." I shrugged, giving him a gentle smile. "Why not."

* * *

The loft was amazing. I stepped inside after Mohinder and allowed my eyes to scan around, taking in a couple of paintings left on easels. There were a few blank canvases stacked against the wall, piles of paint in one side. Right in the middle of the New York bohemian loft was a table full of equipment that belonged in a science class. I saw Bunsen burners and tubes and other items, pieces of equipment I was unable to identify. I ran my hand along the railing as I went down the stairs, feeling the dust gathering on my fingers. There was dust on the table too, and it was clear no one had been here for a few weeks.

My eyes landed on the image beneath the table, a beautiful piece of artwork that was a mix of red and black and orange. Despite its beauty, its magnificence, something about the image unnerved me. I frowned as I stared at it.

"Whose loft is this?"

"It was Isaac Mendez's." He explained, setting something up on the table. He paused, allowing his eyes to wonder for a few seconds.

"The guy who drew 9th Wonders?"

"Yes." Mohinder nodded, frowning at me as he did so.

"Something happened to him, didn't it?"

He sighed, running a hand through his mop of dark hair. "Sylar got him. He could paint the future."

I bit my lip, glancing at the paintings. "That was why Hiro was in the comic, wasn't it?"

"You have read it, then?"

"Yes." I found myself frowning now. "A few issues...not all of it. Dr Dust had them at the school. Sam loves them."

I watched as he slid a few slides under a microscope, gazing at them with the intense focus I'd seen on Dr Dust's face the few times I'd seen her at work. In silence, I wondered around the loft, peeking into the life of Isaac Mendez. There was a shelf full of books on famous painters and a fair few I'd never heard of. Against one of the walls was a stack of comics, and I gazed in wonderment at how rare some of them were.

Sam would have had a field day with these.

"Melinda."

Mohinder's hushed whisper made me turn around, and that was when I heard it. Someone was coming to the door. I lifted my hands, forming two fireballs in my palms, ready for whoever was about to stop through the door. I inched myself closer to the scientist, and the pair of us waited.

A few seconds later and I squeezed the fireballs out of existence, letting out a relieved sigh when I saw Peter leaning over the banister, scanning the floor of the loft.

"Hey." He turned, began to walk down the stairs towards us. "Didn't expect you two to be here."

"How's Nathan?" I asked, annoyed at the way his eyes avoided me.

"He's fine." He muttered in reply. "This place has changed."

"Of course," Mohinder's eyes followed Peter's movements, "you knew Mendez."

"Yeah, and you refused to believe me when I told you what he could do."A wistful smile came across his face, as he walked around the perimeter, seeming to take note of every small detail. "I haven't been here since..." he trailed off, and I could see a name wanting to form on his lips. Since who, Peter?

He paused, eyes snapping quickly away from the bed at one side of the room. He gazed at Mohinder, and I quickly got fed up of the silence.

"What you got there?" I asked, gesturing at the slides on the table.

"Blood samples, from a few, what was it you said, EAs?"

"Yeah. Let me guess, trying to find a common factor?"

"Yes." He glanced at me with curiosity. "How did you know?"

"Dr Dust let me help with some of her research. She took blood samples from us when we were sixteen, with our permission of course." She'd taken mine two years earlier than the others, at my request. At fourteen, with all the difficulties of being a teenager and that eager desire to fit in, I had first developed my keen interest in finding answers. I thought that if she took a blood sample it might reveal some.

"Interesting. Did she find much?"

"She discovered that those with similar abilities had some link – they were usually the same blood type." I didn't want to tell him that I was AB minus.

"What's Sam?" Peter asked, looking thoughtful.

"A plus."

"Same as Nathan." He mused, glancing at Mohinder. The doctor wrote something down, before looking at Peter.

"Interesting. I haven't had the chance to take a wide scope, or look at blood from those with similar powers."

"Yeah, Eddy and Rin are both B plus. Dr Dust thought it might be because their powers are element based."

He wrote something else down, tapping his pen against the table. "I'd like to meet this Dr Dust of yours."

"She's really clever." I commented.

"What about you Peter? What's your blood type?" Mohinder asked, now tapping his pen against the microscope. "I haven't taken a sample from you."

"AB minus." He shrugged. "Handy if I need a blood transfusion."

I gaped at him, before chuckling to myself. "Well that makes sense. Same as me." I glanced at Mohinder, sensing there was something else he wasn't telling me. I pulled a Parkman, and quickly got the information from him. "Some people don't like their gifts, do they?" I asked, watching as he glanced up at me in surprise.

"I should be used to that." He muttered, and Peter laughed.

"Living with Matt you should be, yeah." He commented, before running a hand through his hair.

"Some people see their powers as dangerous." Mohinder's finger trailed along on the microscope. "I'm trying to see if there is a way I can help them."

"And then there's Sylar." My fingers scratched just under my hairline, where there should have been a scar, as images of the man flashed before my eyes.

"Then there's Sylar." Mohinder's face was dark, and I felt a stirring of pity as I looked at him, the way he was now standing, shoulders hunched over. "I failed her."

"No, you didn't." I snapped, crossing my arms. My eyes darted to Peter, who held a similar look on his face as the doctor. "And don't go thinking you failed Claire either. It's not your fault – either of you. There was nothing you could do, you couldn't stop him."

"I should have been there for her."

"He still would have got her Peter. You can't be there twenty-four seven. And Claire's fine. So is Molly. They're safe now, right?"

Both men were silent, staring at the table as if it held all the answers they were searching for.

"Mohinder, he didn't get Molly."

"I know." He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "No thanks to me."

"Will you shut up!" I barked, rounding on Mohinder. I could feel their eyes on me, shocked and surprised, as my fists clenched at my sides. "Mohinder there was nothing you could have done. He threw Eddy out of a window and Rin was knocked out. With their powers, too. You really think you'd have survived if he decided to kill you?"

"If I could somehow do what you can do, what they can do..."

"There's no point wasting your life wishing." My voice was harsher than I perhaps intended, but I found myself getting more than a little annoyed at Mohinder's self-pitying bullshit. He was just intensifying the guilt I felt. If I had stayed with Claire until she was safe, and if I had been at home, where I should have been, except on some wild goose chase with Angelo, then I could have stopped them getting hurt. I could have stopped the emotional pain that had been in Molly's eyes. But no, I was out playing spy, and because of me, Peter hadn't been there either. And if I had just stayed in the car instead of going out to attack him, he could have got back to the house quicker, he could have protected them.

"I'm the one who should have been there." My voice rose in volume, and it wasn't until I realised they were suddenly lower than me that I looked down, realising I was hovering above the loft floor, my hands aflame as heat rushed through my body.

Almost as soon as I noticed this I fell, landing on my buttocks. The room spun around me as Mohinder and Peter rushed to my side. Immediately I put my hands to my head, running cold water down my face. Peter held me close to him, eyes scanning over me to see if I was alright. Mohinder checked my pulse, eyes full of worry and concern.

"Mel, you're boiling."

"I know." I took my hands away and wriggled out of his grip. "Sorry I...I didn't mean to frighten you guys."

"What happened?"

"I think it's something to do with everything that's happening." I let out a sigh. "It's happened a few times since I've been here. It's like, my emotions run wild and so do my abilities."

I rubbed my forehead, before my eyes fell on Mohinder. He had the same look on his face I'd seen on Dr Dust's a few times. I watched him carefully. "Brainwave?"

"My father had it wrong." He whispered, sliding towards me. "Melinda, may I take a blood sample?"


	18. Chapter 17

"What do you think he's doing?" I asked, dangling my legs over the side of the tallest building we had been able to find, eyes locked on the beautiful red and gold sky as the sun set, casting it's multi-coloured rays over the skyscrapers that made up the city's skyline.

Peter shrugged. "I have no idea."

We had watched Mohinder at work in the loft as he rushed around, seeming to get more and more excited every minute. He was close to something, but refused to reveal to us what it was. It wasn't just the blood sample he'd taken from me either. He'd also scraped off skin cell tissues, used a swab to get my salvia, took my vitals and ran a few tests. Then, and only then, had he allowed us to leave, and we both decided to fly up here.

Here, watching the sunset I could focus only on how amazing it was to be in New York, rather than allowing myself to dwell on everything I actually hated about being here. I could try to forget about Angela Petrelli and Austen and the things I had seen.

"You know, I thought originally you worked for the Company." Peter's voice was quiet, soft, and I glanced sideways at him.

"What's the Company?"

"They...they catch us. Track us. Well, not me. But they tried with Nathan. They got Matt at one point too. You seen the marks on his neck?"

"Yeah. Well, no. But I know what you mean." West. I thought of the boy, of West who had been so scared that I was linked to those marks, to the man with horn-rimmed glasses. Whoever the hell he was. "So how do you know I'm not working for them?"

"You're not, are you?"

"I don't know who I'm working for." I admitted, feeling sheepish as I said it.

"I have a feeling they don't operate like that." He sighed. "But you know who your boss is, don't you?"

"Yeah. Kind of. But there might be someone higher up. I thought Armani was top dog, originally."

"Armani?"

"Oh, yeah. I don't know his real name. He was the one who originally kidnapped us."

"Ah.

"It's too confusing. I have no idea what's going on now, with....with everything that's happened. I would have thought they'd have contacted me by now. If I go back to the school..."

"Don't go back."

In surprise, I turned to look at him, having nothing to say to those eyes, so dark now and full of worry, fear and...and passion.

"Not yet, anyway."

"I won't." I whispered, turning back to the sunset as a strange thought occurred to me. "Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"Dance with me?"

* * *

Peter wasn't much of a dancer, and he stubbornly refused to join in as moved through the crowd of people, staying near the fringes so I could see him. So 'dance with me' quickly became 'stand against the wall with your arms crossed and watch me'. Still, I didn't mind. He looked happy enough sipping at his beer as I weaved my way through pulsing bodies, allowing myself to drown in the music. Focusing on the space around me and the heavy beat, I forgot about everything else. His eyes wondered around the room, but always they'd land back on me. I was having fun, and I caught him smiling as I pushed myself further into the crowd, the music guiding me.

I half turned to see a tall guy in a smart, dark shirt dancing alongside me. There wasn't much room this far in, and I found myself dancing beside me. Still, my eyes kept getting drawn back to Peter, whose head was now bobbing up and down in time with the music and whose foot was tapping against the wall.

I watched as a petite blonde walked towards him, a mini-skirt barely covering her arse. I couldn't help the surge of jealously that I felt, and I couldn't help but grin as he shooed her away, eyes once more searching the crowd before they fell on me. He winked, and I lifted my hand in a quick wave. His smile quickly turned to a frown, as I felt an arm snake around my waist and pull me roughly.

"Let's find somewhere quieter, shall we baby?"

The guy in the dark shirt held me against him, despite the fact that I was trying to push him away. "I can't. I have friends I need to get back to."

"Aw come on baby, just a little bit of fun?" His face came closer and closer to mine, even as I still tried to push him away. I daren't use a power, not here, and right now the crowd was pushing in even more, leaving me with barely any room to escape. I was scared – if I did try to use a power, who knew who else might get hurt?

"Mind if I cut in?" A hand fell onto my shoulder, and gently Peter pulled me away from the other guy. The guy glared at him, and I saw him open his mouth to say something before he seemed to decide against it. He turned, disappeared into the crowd and I found myself turning to Peter, hugging him.

"Thanks." I whispered in his ear, before pulling away and sliding back slightly. "You going to dance with me now?"

He chuckled, shaking his hair. "I told you, I don't dance!"

We were shouting now to be heard above the music. I began to move, allowing the music to get into my bloodstream like alcohol. The song changed. The rhythm was quick, it was upbeat and fast and the pounding filled my head. I winked at Peter as I wriggled my hips. "Pete! It's fun!" I yelled, grinning at him. He shook his head again. "Please?" He rolled his eyes. "For me?"

He stepped forward, put his arm around my waist and pulled me towards him. With his lips beside my ear, he muttered "Alright, for you then" and began to dance. I couldn't hold back my smile as I danced with him, as the song reached a fever pitch and suddenly our lips were locked together. This time, it lasted longer, and my hands reached up, holding onto his shoulders as he gently lifted my off the floor. My feet dangling in the air, I parted my lips, allowing his tongue to push in between my teeth.

* * *

In mid-air I came to a stop, Peter beside me. I wanted to cry out at the injustice of seeing the black Smiths & Son outside the house. Peter disappeared, but I felt his hand gently rest against the small of my back, a sign of reassurance.

"Better see what they want." He whispered, and I found myself nodding before flying down towards the van. I knocked on the back door and when it opened, I saw Armani standing there, tie loose and sweat on his forehead.

"Please tell me you found Austen." I kept my eyes on him as he let out a sigh.

"No, we have more pressing matters to deal with."

"Like what?"

"Your doctor friend."

"Mohinder?" I gasped, and without waiting for him to reply I turned and ran towards the house. Once inside, I waited for Peter's hand to squeeze my shoulder before I closed the door. As it clicked shut, he appeared again, glancing at me with worry.

"Matt!" He called, and I watched as the large guy stepped out of the living room. "Where's Mohinder?"

"Last I heard he was at the loft with..." His eyes fell on me. "With you, Mel."

"Bollocks." I muttered under my breath, before glancing at Peter. "Matt, stay here. I'm going to need you to keep an eye out for Mohinder."

"What's going on?" He asked, starting to look worried.

"Just trust me on this, OK? Stay here." With those words, Peter once more turned invisible and the pair of us went back to the van.

"If you hadn't stormed off," Armani drawled, "I could have told you he wasn't here."

"Where is he?"

"At the loft."

"Is he OK?"

"That remains to be seen."

I glared at him as I felt my fists clench at my sides. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see. Just get in the van."

I climbed in; faking a small trip to make sure Peter had enough time to get in, too. I found myself sitting in between two thugs, one with a mop of brown hair, the other bald. Armani gestured towards the bold guy. "This is Mick. He's your new...he's the replacement."

I frowned, glancing at the man. "Power?"

"Strength." Armani grinned, a wolf surveying a field of sheep. I nodded, before glancing down at my shoes. "You need to get Mohinder. We need to bring him in."

"What?" My head snapped up. "Why? He doesn't have a power!"

"You'll see. You'll be the first to go into the loft. We will be stationed outside, just in case something happens."

"I'm not letting you kidnap my friend!"

"Then warn him." Armani chuckled. "Go on, warn him and we'll watch him run. The chase can be kind of fun."

"Jesus!" I rolled my eyes. "You're a poet and you didn't know it."

The van came to a sudden stop, and I felt a strong, invisible hand clench my hand and squeeze it. The doors were pushed open by Mick, and Armani shoved me outside.

"Do your job Melinda." He hissed, before the doors slammed shut and the van moved off down the road.

"Shall we?" Peter's voice whispered in my ear, and I felt his arm go around my waist, guiding me towards the entrance.

"I'm scared." I admitted, feeling younger than my barely eighteen years. "We don't know what we're going to find, Peter."

"We're going to find Mohinder." He whispered, as we drew closer to the entrance. "We'll find Mohinder and warn him, tell him to get out of here."

"You heard them. They'll just chase him."

"Not if we stop them Mel."

I smiled, realising something. Peter had remained invisible; my appearance was still how I had 'set' it this morning. Armani didn't have the bracelet with him!

"You're right." I opened the door, and slid inside. Immediately, my blood ran cold when I spotted the table in the middle of the room, broken in the centre and equipment over the floor. The smile on my face disappeared as Peter became visible once more, eyes wide in shock. "Mohinder?" I called softly.

I almost screamed when a figure dropped from the ceiling, landing on the mural on the floor. He lifted himself up, tilted his head back and grinned up at us.

There was something different about Mohinder, although he looked the same as he had earlier that day. There was an air of excitement around him as he bounced on the balls of his feet, his eyes dark. I started to sprint down the stairs, Peter on my heels, but the pair of us skidded to a stop when Mohinder leapt into the air, clinging onto the ceiling in a similar way that Carl had been able to do.

"Mohinder!" I cried, as he crawled along the ceiling before dropping down again. "What have you done?"

"Melinda." He laughed. "I was able to utilise your DNA and blood to create a serum that can give anyone powers."

"So you have Mel's powers?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No." His grin grew wider. "That is the beauty of it. I believe the reactions will differ from person to person, giving different powers."

My hand was clutching the railing of the stairs, knuckles white as I realised the gravity of this situation. "Mohinder, if this falls into the wrong hands..."

"We can talk about this later." Peter cut in, stepping towards the doctor. "We need to get you out of here. We have company."

"Peter's right." I muttered, pushing myself off the ground so I hovered in the air. Seconds later and my hands were covered in flames. "Go out the back, get away. Don't go back to the house. We'll find you Mohinder."

"What's going on?"

"Just go." Peter hisses, and without another word Mohinder darts towards the back, but not before grabbing a heavy looking suitcase. My guess is that it contains whatever he needs to make more of this power enhancing serum.

"Stage a fight?" Peter asks, once more becoming invisible.

"Got it in one." I mutter, before carefully throwing a few fireballs around. Together, we manage to make the loft look like a bomb site. I avoid singing the paintings, focusing instead on the blank canvases. We finish not a moment too soon.

I lower myself down, stuff my hands into my pockets and gaze around as Armani and the goons crash in, properly deciding that I'd taken too long.

"Where is he?" Armani cries, the gun armed and pointing towards the middle of the room. "If you've warned him..."

"I didn't." I replied, watching his eyes roam around the room. "He refused to come with me. I tried to reason with him..."

"You could have brought him in!" Armani cried, slamming his fists on the banister in front of him. "You two! Find him!" He snapped, and I watched as the two goons scurried out. "With your powers..."

"I'm not going to hurt him!"

"You've unleashed a monster on the city, Melinda."

"He's my friend!"

"You don't understand." His eyes fell on me, narrowed and dark. "He isn't the man you knew." He turned to leave, pausing in the doorway. "You better bring him in Melinda, and you better hope you find him first. We won't show the same mercy as you."

The slam of the door clattered around the loft as I wondered exactly what he had meant.


	19. Chapter 18

Peter headed back for the house, although I hoped Mohinder wouldn't go back there. I flew above the buildings, trying to find him. It wasn't hard. I darted towards a tall building onto of which Mohinder sat, staring out at the skyline. I landed beside him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Mohinder..."

"I don't like hiding like a criminal."

"I know." The suitcase was beside him, and I eyed it wearily. "I can't believe what you've done Mohinder. If you hadn't..."

"I can protect Molly now."

"Mohinder!" I cried, staggering backwards. "You don't get it, do you? Why do you think something like this isn't out there already? You've injected yourself with a potentially unstable, dangerous serum and now you've got Angela Petrelli's goons after you and..."

"Wait, Angela?" Mohinder's eyes narrowed as he looked at me. "Peter's mother?"

"Shit." My hands flew to my face, covering it. "Forget it, alright? Forget I said anything. We need to get you to an airport."

"An airport?" He stood up slowly, staring at me. "Why?"

"You need to get out of the country." My hands fell from my face. "No, you are not going back to India. You, my friend, are going to the school."

"The school?"

"Yeah, you said you wanted to meet Dr Dust, right?" I shrugged. "Well, now you're going to."

* * *

"Stephanie? Can you put Dr Dust on please?"

The girl on the other end squealed, the high pitched noise forcing me to rub my ears, which were currently poking out from short, cropped, bright pink hair. You want to hide, then make yourself as noticeable as possible. Very few people will try to talk to someone with insanely dyed hair and tattoos.

"Oh my god Melinda! What's New York like? What's the shopping like? That girl you know, did you know she's a cheerleader? Like, a real, proper cheerleader Mel! She's shown us..."

"Steph!" I groaned. "Please, it's an emergency."

"Right, right sorry." The click on the other end told me the call was being transferred. Stephanie was a couple of months younger than me, and had been in most of my classes at the school. She was nice enough, but damn could she talk and squeal and giggle. Too often me and Becky had been bombarded with questions about Sam from the girl, usually about his dating status.

I glanced over at Mohinder, now sitting on a bench near the phone box and rubbing his hands against the cold.

"Melinda!" Dr Dust's voice, sounding so close, sent relief flooding through my body. "Why haven't you phoned?"

"I didn't have the number." I explained sheepishly. "Becky gave it to me."

"Mel we had a family turn up here..."

"Claire, yeah. Sorry. She needed somewhere safe to go."

"I wish you'd told me."

"How is she? Does she have West with her?"

"She's fine. She told me about you going to see her. She's worried about you."

"Tell her I'm fine. Listen, Dr Dust, I'm sending someone else. Mohinder, he..."

"Suresh? Oh God, why Melinda?"

"Because he...can he explain when he gets there?"

"Of course."

"Will you be able to meet him at the airport?"

"Yes. Would you like me to book the flight?"

"Please." I smiled to myself, despite everything. "You should know something....he's managed to create a serum that has given him abilities."

"He used your DNA, didn't he?"

I fell silent, listening to the clicking of a computer keyboard.

"Tell him to pick up the tickets at the airport. It's under Richard Jenkins."

"Alright, thank you." I listened as she told me the time of the flight. I thanked her again. "I'll try to get back soon." I promised, glancing once more at Mohinder.

"It's all gone through. Bye Melinda, and...be careful, alright?"

"I will."

* * *

I waited at the airport until the plane was in the sky before I began to make my way back to the house. For the most part, I ran, but slowed to a stop when I was about an hour away. My mind was preoccupied with what Mohinder had done, and Dust's words about him using my DNA. It was rare for me to wish I'd known my parents – I hated dwelling in it – but right now I had so many questions for them. Whenever I'd asked Dust if she thought they'd have had powers, she seemed to avoid my questions.

I hardly ever thought of my surname, either. It was just an official thing, and I never saw the point of telling too many people what it was. It meant nothing; it was not part of me, as far as I was concerned. Yes, it was a link to my parents but that meant little to me. I could barely remember them, I didn't have any photographs. But right now, I kind of wanted to look into it.

It was something that could wait, however.

Concentrating as I was on my thoughts, I was more than shocked when something grabbed me and pulled me into the air.

"Let me go!" I yelled, unable to see my assailants face.

"Mel, it's me."

"Jesus Peter!" I cried, still trying to wriggle out of his grasp. "Don't do that! And let me go...I hate flying in tandem."

He did as I asked and I pushed myself away from him slightly before glancing down. We were flying quite far above the skyscrapers, and I found myself taking a deep breath before turning to look at him. "What's going on?"

"They know you helped Mohinder escape. Where is he anyway?"

"On his way to the glorious United Kingdom." I muttered sarcastically. "Dr Dust is going to look after him from here."

"Good." Peter glanced downwards, and I followed his gaze. There, weaving through the traffic, was the black van. Too late, Armani. "Hiro turned up in your absence."

"Let me guess, my mates freaked out?" I threw myself onto my back, sliding my hands behind my head.

"Kind of, yeah. But he was acting too weird to notice. He said we had to stop Austen."

"Great." I muttered sarcastically, as Peter appeared in my eyesight, hovering just beside me. "And how are we supposed to do that? There's no way I'm working with those twats again."

"Maybe," Peter mused, "we could think of a way for Austen to find us?"

* * *

Hiro had indeed arrived while I'd been gone, and in the meantime Matt had also moved out. It was a shame, really, I'd come to see Matt, Mohinder and Molly as kind of my extended family. Still, I knew why he'd gone. There was no point him sticking around now, and we didn't have much space as it was.

"So you went to the future?" I asked Hiro, sitting on the sofa beside Sam and Becky. Peter was perched on the arm beside me, Rin was on Eddy's lap in the armchair, and the small Japanese man stood in front of the fire.

He nodded. "Yes. It was bad. Very bad."

Sam and Eddy still hadn't got over their shock of seeing a comic book character come to life, in a way. We'd explained to them that yes, it was the same Hiro Nakumura, and that it was because of Isaac's power that this was possible. Still, they'd been avid readers of 9th Wonders and I knew it would take them a bit of time to get over the whole idea of it.

"Bad?" I asked. "In what way?"

"There is a serum, that gives everyone powers." Hiro explained, pushing his glasses up his nose. Peter's hand, resting on my shoulder, squeezed.

"Go on." He muttered, eyes locked on Hiro.

"Many follow the man called Austen, whereas we..." His eyes darted around the room, taking us all in. "Are seen as terrorists. It is war."

"Terrorists?" Becky gasped. "Why?"

"Because Austen is a villain."

"A billon?" Sam looked confused.

"Villain." Hiro groaned, rolling his eyes. "A bad, bad man..."

"Oh!" Sam nodded his head. "A villain!"

"That is what I said." Hiro snapped, before fixing his eyes on Peter. "He has turned the world against those they call the Naturals."

"Those who don't need the serum to have powers?" I asked, watching as Hiro nodded his head slowly.

"Yes. Austen is, himself, a Natural, but he managed to get hold of the serum and was the first to administer it to others. Of course, there are Naturals working with him."

"How long were you there for?" Peter's question floated in the air, as I gazed at the teleporter. I understood why he had asked – Hiro's whole aura seemed to have become darker, heavier.

"A few days. It is hard to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad – the lines are blurred." He rubbed the bridge of his nose before once more pushing his glasses up. "Some Naturals work for Austen, others, like us, are classed as Terrorists, like I said. Similarly, some of those who were given the serum are on our side. Mohinder being one of them."

I glanced at Peter. Well, at least he survived that far ahead.

"OK, well, what do we do Hiro?"

"Find Austen. Get him before he can get to the serum."

"I got that." I muttered. "The bit I got stumped at was how."

* * *

With no idea of what to do next, we did what we did best instead. We trained. It was quite fun to see Eddy and Sam trying to teach Hiro how to fight, how to really fight with kicks and jabs and punches. Still, he left them stunned when he showed off a few of his sword moves, and with the long Samurai sword he managed to block a lot of Eddy's fire attacks.

There was only so much a sword could do, however, and a few times Eddy or Sam managed to disarm the Japanese bloke. When they did that, he went for them with full force, and again I noticed how much he had changed since I'd seen him last. The same fierce determination I'd seen in Peter was evident in Hiro, and I knew that somehow it was linked to his days spent in what sounded like the hellish future.

I just hoped we could stop that from happening.

When not watching Hiro and the boys, I found myself going against Becky and Rin, Peter fighting at my side. It made sense for the two girls to work together and for me to work with Peter. The pair of us were starting to make quite the formidable team.

Rin threw ice towards us, as Becky darted around and tried to trip us up. At one point, Rin had me and Peter trapped in a circle of sharp icicles. We made quick work of them and managed to melt them all.

After two days of almost non-stop training we were, not surprisingly, exhausted. We gathered in the living room and stuck a film on, discussing how we were going to find the elusive Austen.

Our best bet at the moment was to get Austen to find us, the only problem was that none of us had any idea of how, exactly, to do that. So for now we were in limbo, throwing ideas out into the air and hoping eventually we'd find one that would work.

The film finished and the others drifted off to their bedrooms. I stretched myself across the sofa, staring at the wall as I lay on my side. I called out nights to them, not aware that Peter stayed behind until he crouched down in front of my face, a half smile on his lips. Oh God, those lips.

"You OK?" His voice was soft, gentle as he looked at me.

"Yeah. Just tired."

"Just tired?" He asked, as he brushed my hair back. It was back to a short brown bob, the fringe now falling to the side.

"Yeah. And scared. Terrified. But that's normal when you're saving the world, isn't he?"

"Yeah." He chuckled. "You sleeping down here?"

"Considering Rin, Eddy, Sam and Becky are now acting like teenagers whose parents have gone away for the weekend, and sleeping upstairs involves sharing a room with one of the couples, yes. I'm sleeping down here."

"You could always stay in my bed..."

In the few seconds it took for him to finish that sentence, I found my heart beating heavily in my chest, my pulse racing, as my brain said i_yes please/i_.

"I'd stay on the sofa, of course."

Ah, OK, so there was a catch. I tried to stop the disappointment from showing on my face. "Nah, it's alright. The sofa's pretty comfy actually."

"You sure?"

"Sure."

He kissed my forehead before standing up. "Alright, night Mel."

"Night Pete."

As soon as I heard his footsteps disappear upstairs, I groaned and threw myself onto my back, ignoring the small ounce of pain that shot through my head, having hit it on the hard arm of the sofa. Staring at the ceiling, I found myself cursing men. Sweet as hell, sure, but so very clueless, too. I knew he was just being nice, offering me a bed instead of the sofa, but still, what would be the point of me sleeping in his bed when he wasn't there?

Don't get me wrong; my thoughts were far from the idea of actually, well, sleeping with him. That wasn't what I wanted. No, I just wanted to sleep next to someone, to see what it was like to have someone's arms wrapped protectively around you while you slept.

It was something Rin had raved about ever since her and Eddy had started sharing the same bed. She'd confided in me that she hated the rare occasions when they couldn't sleep side by side. She'd proven to me that it didn't have to be all about, well, sex.

I wanted to feel protected and safe and I thought sleeping beside Peter would give me that.

Cursing men once more, I closed my eyes and tried to get to sleep.


	20. Chapter 19

"Bloody hell!" I hissed, throwing my body upwards and glaring at the painting in front of me. My eyes stared straight into those of a beautiful blonde woman who stared at the world with a sad smile. "What are you staring at?" I muttered, before allowing my eyes to glance at the clock on the mantelpiece. Two hours. Two Goddamn freaking hours I'd been lying there. My body wanted to sleep, wanted to shut down and attempt to recover but oh no, something was stopping my half-fantasies of Peter coming downstairs and declaring undying love for me turning into dreams.

I lifted a hand to the back of my neck, swearing when I realised my appearance changing ability had once more worn off. Bloody great.

OK, so I wasn't going to sleep. Instead, I climbed off the sofa and began to pace up and down, wondering if maybe inspiration would strike now, and I'd be able to think of a way to find Austen and stop the nightmare of the future turning into reality.

Of their own accord, my feet began to climb the stairs and before I could think through my actions rationally I found myself pushing open the door to Peter's room.

"Peter?" I whispered into the dark.

"Mmm?"

I smiled at the half-asleep sound he made, and quickly adjusted my eyes to the darkness. I saw him shift in the bed, turning towards the doorway. The shift went along with the sound of the duvet rustling.

"Mel?"

"Scoot over." I stepped further into the room, shutting the door softly behind me. I smiled as he shifted his body back, moving closer to the wall. I slid under the covers, and almost instantly his arms came around my stomach, his lips ticking my neck as he kissed me.

"What's wrong?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"Sofa not as comfy as you thought?"

"Nah."

This was what I wanted, I thought, as I made myself comfortable. I pushed my arm under the pillow, feeling tiredness tug at my eyes as I inhaled his scent. He kissed my shoulder.

"You don't move much in your sleep, do you?" He whispered.

"Nope. You?"

"Course not."

I half turned my head, catching the glint in his eyes. "Liar."

"Yeah, thanks Mel." He muttered sarcastically, and I found myself giggling.

"Do you think Mohinder's going to be OK?"

"He'll be fine."

"Yeah. Claire's fine, by the way."

"Good." He yawned, burying his head between my shoulder blades. I smiled into the darkness, as sleep finally washed over me.

* * *

There was complete and utter darkness surrounding me, so very different from the darkness I'd had in Peter's room. I no longer felt safe; instead I was alone with a strange feeling twisting my stomach. Where was he? I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to think rationally. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to focus on the night-vision ability I had.

To my dismay, when I opened my eyes it hadn't worked.

"Dreams are easy to manipulate, Melinda."

I knew that voice.

"Armani?"

"Armani?" His laughter surrounded me as I glanced around, scared and afraid. He stepped out of the darkness – no, it was more like he pushed it back, allowing himself to be seen. "Armani?"

"Give me a break." I muttered, staring hard at him. "You never told me your real name."

"How very rude of me. Which name would you like to know? My real name or what they call me?"

"That depends." I was trying not to show him how scared I felt, trying to stop the trembling in my body. "Who're 'they'?"

"The people you work for. Angela Petrelli and her, well, subordinates, I guess."

"You mean the Company."

It was the first name that came to my head, the one Peter had mentioned, even if he didn't think I was working for them. I had no idea just how wrong I was.

His laughter seemed to come from all around me, from every inch and angle, shooting out of the darkness and into my mind. It echoed in my head, and I felt the urge to punch him.

"They are not the Company, Melinda. Perhaps you should know both names. I hate seeing you flailing in the sea I have created."

"What do you mean?"

"It's me you're looking for, Melinda."

I wished he'd stop saying my name. The way he said it, every time, managed to fill me with dread. "You're Austen?"

That goddamn smile came across his face. "Well done."

"I thought your power was healing?"

"Haven't you realised just how little they actually know of me?" He snapped. "I've slipped under the radar; they know my name and nothing else."

"I'll tell them."

"You think they'll believe you?" He stepped towards me, until he was right in front of me. His hand lifted my chin up, forcing me to stare into his eyes. "You think they'll believe you had a dream in which the man who has worked with them, for them, so loyally, for three and a half years, told you he was Austen?"

"Then why are you telling me this?"

"Because it's going to be so much fun seeing you and your little friends trying to stop me. The Doctor may have made it onto the plane, but his suitcase sure as hell didn't."

"That was why you sent me after Mohinder." I whispered, my body shaking. "So you could get the serum. It was nothing to do with his being dangerous."

"Both." He grinned. "You should know Melinda, you fucked up big time. Going against Angela Petrelli's wishes, that's bad. Very bad." He chuckled, dropping my chin and sliding backwards. "You can thank me later for making sure you and her brat of a kid met, by the way."

"She was lying."

"Really, Melinda?" He tilted his head to one side, surveying me. "Are you sure it doesn't make sense – if you had never met Peter, then they wouldn't have come looking for you. You wouldn't have been rescued by them. You would never have met Mohinder and the discovery of your DNA creating the serum..."

Oh.

Oh shit.

"Sweet dreams Melinda." He raised a hand before the darkness enveloped him, leaving me to run forward screaming at him to come back.

I skidded to a stop when I realised I was no longer standing in the darkness. No, I was now standing in a completely empty dream version of Mendez's loft. Empty except for the bed and the lone figure standing on it, staring off into space.

"Peter!" I ran towards him, my heart soaring at just having seen him here. Slowly, his head turned towards me and I skidded to a stop, seeing the way he looked at me.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Pete, it's me, its Mel I.....I know who Austen is and..."

His eyes remained like slits, glaring at me, full of hatred and anger. Reasoning slowly started to kick in; it's just a dream Mel, it's Austen playing with your mind, it isn't real!

His hand flew into the air, and before I could stop it his hand hit my face. The force behind it was powerful enough to send me flying across the loft. My back smacked into the wall, and pain shot through me, followed quickly by the tingling sensation that meant I was healing. Bloody hell. The pain was real enough for me to realise this was more than a dream.

Peter's chest was heaving up and down as he stared at me, and my eyes darted to the door as it flew open.

"Thank god! Rin, Becky, help me!" I cried out, pulling myself to my feet.

"You found her?" Rin spoke coldly, and I realised she looked slightly older. Her eyes, like Peter's, were dark with hatred, and I watched as she gracefully jumped over the banister and landed in front of me. Becky ran down the stairs, coming to a stop beside her. "Good."

"I don't want to see this." Becky was different, too. She looked worn and weary; no trace of the happy girl I knew remained. She stepped back slightly, turning away from me. "Let's go."

"Are you kidding me?" Rin barked, and I realised I had to get out of here. I turned to run, but before I could reach the door Peter had grabbed me and slammed against the wall. His hands pinned me there, and I found myself screaming out in pain as fire flared onto his hands, burning my shoulders. "After everything she's done? I'm staying." Rin rounded on me, and over Peter's shoulder I could see her staring at us. "She killed them, Bex. It's her fault they're dead. Daphne, Tracey, Hiro!" She stepped forward, and I could see her hands forming ice. "She killed your boyfriend, Becky. She killed Sam! And Eddy!"

"Sorry Pete." I whispered, raising my legs and pushing them into his stomach. His body sailed over the room, hit the wall and crumpled. Again I tried to run, but found myself slipping on the suddenly icy floor.

"What are you waiting for Petrelli?" Rin cried, as I went tumbling down and my arse hit the cold floor. I glanced at Becky, silently pleading with her to help me. "She killed your brothers!"

"Brothers?" I yelled. "As in plural? I thought Peter only had one brother! Whatever you think Rin it wasn't me!"

"Liar!" Peter screeched, and I turned towards him to see a fireball larger than any I had ever been able to create flying towards me.

* * *

"Melinda?"

I lifted my face from the basin, staring into the mirror as water dripped off my natural face. Two minutes and twenty-five seconds I'd been standing here, counting the seconds tick by in an attempt to keep my mind clear of the dream. I'd woken in pain, had staggered through to the bathroom and tired to cool my body down. The tap was still dripping as pain wracked its way through my body, heat scorching every inch of me. I could feel the healing trying to combat it, feel the tingling feeling trying to stop my body's pain.

He stood just behind me in the doorway, hair messed up from sleeping. With just a pair of black pyjama bottoms and nothing else on he watched me, looking worried and concerned. I wanted to hug him and run away at the same time.

I told myself to relax, told myself that he was not the Peter from my dreams. I still couldn't shake the horrible feeling that had settled itself over me, however, and when I looked at him through the mirror it was like I could see, hidden, the eyes full of hatred he had looked at me with in the dream.

"Didn't wake you, did I?" I asked, forcing myself to smile.

"What's wrong?" He stepped towards me, and I couldn't help but flinch. He looked hurt as I turned my back on him, reaching out for a towel and rubbing my face dry.

"Nothing. Just a bad dream."

"It felt real, though, didn't it?" He muttered, and I froze.

"No." I shook my head. "It didn't."

Liar.

"Sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"I'm sure. Go back to bed Pete."

He slid towards me, wrapping his arms around my stomach and pulling me towards him. I felt his lips as they kissed my neck. "It was just a dream, wasn't it?"

"A really bad one but yeah, it was just a dream." I turn my head slightly to see his eyes full of compassion, and love, love that right now I really can't return.

I turn my head away and stare instead at the tiled floor. Forty-two seconds pass in silence before he speaks again.

"Melinda?" He whispers. "What was in your dream?"

_"What are you waiting for Petrelli?" _Rin's voice fills my head. _"She killed your brothers!"_

I move away from him, pausing in the doorway to glance once more into the mirror. He stands in front of it, watching me through the reflection and I realise I hate myself for being the cause of the hurt and confusion in his eyes. "Go to bed Peter." I try to sound forceful, commanding, but all I sound like is an A class bitch. "I'll see you in the morning."

Ten minutes later and I'm sitting on the sofa, a cup of herbal tea in my hand as I stare at the blank TV. Angela Petrelli said she could see into the future, what if what I'd seen wasn't a dream but a vision of things to come? An image of the Ghost of Christmases to Come flashes into my head, the Muppets version. It always scared me whenever I saw him come on screen, the Grim Reaper type character who showed Scrooge just how much he was hated.

What if I'd gone through the same experience?

What if I really had seen my future, their future, our future, a future I didn't understand?

Or maybe Austen really was fucking with my head.

Austen.

I felt angry just thinking about him. It was his fault Angelo and Carl were dead. He should have been the one I'd burnt from the inside, he was the one who was going to create a future in which we were hated and hunted and seen as terrorists.

And, if that future had been real, I felt he was the reason my friends hated me.

The first rays of sunlight were starting to filter into the room when Rin came in. Her eyes fell on me, taking me in and clearly noticing my lack of sleep. "Hey Mel."

"Hey."

I didn't look at her, didn't watch as she came and sat on the armchair. "You OK?"

"Fine."

Rin was like a big sister to me, the girl who'd always looked after and guided me, the one who always came to me to moan about Eddy's bad habits. We made each other laugh when we down, and I couldn't count the amount of times we'd cried on each other's shoulders.

How could she hate me that much?

"You want a drink?" She offered, glancing at my empty mug.

"No."

"OK." She could tell something was up, but she knew me to well to question it. With a shrug, she pushed herself up and disappeared through to the kitchen.

It isn't long before everyone else is up, and it's obvious that no one has had a full night's sleep. Cradling cups of tea and coffee in their hands, all of them stare at me. I can't sit with them here, and find myself pacing up and down. Sam sits on the sofa with Becky between his knees, Hiro on the other end with the sword across his lap, running his finger over it. Rin is on Eddy's lap; Peter hovers as if he can't decide whether to sit down or not.

I paused, eyes locking with Hiro's, and a sense of understanding flashed between us. That's when I realise why, without me saying anything, everyone is focused on me. Because just by looking at Hiro I can tell the same darkness lurking in his eyes since he came back to the present is in my eyes, too. Which makes me think maybe it was real.

He could tell me. He could have the answers to whether it was real or if it was just Austen.

Feeling the frustration building up inside me, I turn and stalk out into the garden. Once outside, I allow heat to flood through every part of my body, cumulating in it flaring out of my hands and shooting down towards the bottom of the garden. Before it can damage any of the grass or plants out here, I shoot ice at it. All that's left of my burst is a trail of smoke. I lift my hands, run them through my hair and let them come to a stop on the back of my neck.

"Melinda?"

"Where was I?" I don't turn to face him, and remain staring at the smoky trail. "In the future, did you see me?"

"No."

"Were you there?"

"Yes." I turn to face him now, see him shift the sword from one hand to the other.

"What about Eddy and Sam?"

"You've seen it." It's not a question, but I nod anyway.

"What did I do Hiro?"

"I don't know. Is that why you would not look at them?"

"Yes." I hang my head, staring at the floor. "I don't understand what I could have done to make them hate me that much."

He steps towards me, his hand resting on my shoulder. "I have seen people change beyond recognition, Melinda. Not just in the future you saw. I have seen my best friend kill me. I have seen Peter twisted and changed. Extreme circumstances push people to do extreme things."

"I'm scared Hiro." Turning to face him, I gaze into his eyes and see the same fear there, too. "We need to stop that future from happening."

"Yes. We need to find Austen."

"I...I think I know who Austen is."

"How?"

"It's going to sound really weird but..."

"Mel." Both of us glance at the doorway as Peter steps out into the sunlight, pulling a jacket on as he does. "I'm going to go see Nathan, you want to come?"

There is nothing in his eyes but hope, and I find myself giving the first genuine smile of the day. He's asking me to meet his brother, and judging from the way he looks at me it means a lot to him. Seeing my smile, he relaxes, and I glance at Hiro.

"Go." He smiles at me. "We can discuss things later."


	21. Chapter 20

On the drive over, Peter explains to me that his brother is now living in what used to be his – Peter's – apartment. "I never use it anymore."

"Too busy saving the world?"

A chuckle. "Of course."

I smile at him, before fixing my gaze out the window. I remember what Rin said in the dream. In the future. Brothers. Plural. More than one. Did that mean Angela Petrelli was going to have another child? I wondered if she was pregnant already. But by who? Adoption, maybe? A secret Petrelli sibling that they didn't talk about or Peter didn't know about? There were enough secrets between mother and son to make it plausible.

Before I could carry on with this train of thought, Peter pulled the car over and ushered me out. In no time at all he was knocking on his brother's door, and suddenly I was staring at the man who was undeniably Peter's brother, Angela's son and Claire's father. The same Petrelli determination I'd seen in those three shone in his eyes, even as he smiled at me.

"You must be Melinda."

I found myself blushing under his gaze, as he shook my hand. "Nice to meet you Nathan."

"I've heard a lot about you." He winked, before stepping back and allowing us entrance to the apartment. We slid inside, just before Nathan called "Ma! Peter's here!"

My hand clutched at Peter's, fear suddenly flowing through me.

Great.

Just absolutely great.

Peter's hands slid my jacket off, as he leant forward and whispered "I didn't know she'd be here. Sorry Mel."

There was humour in his voice though, and I forced myself to smile. "It's OK."

Angela stepped out of the kitchen, looking very different from the woman I had come to know and hate. She smiled at me, as she shook my hand and kissed my cheeks.

"Melinda. What a pleasure."

"Nice to meet you Mrs Petrelli."

As we pulled away I glanced at the two boys, who shared reassured glances. What a farce. A farce that I had to go through, I had to put up with, for Peter's sake. One look at Angela and I knew she was thinking the same thing.

Peter gave me a sheepish look, and I smiled gently at him as Angela's hand came to a rest on my shoulder. "It's nice to finally meet one of Peter's girlfriends."

Ouch.

A tinge of feminine duplicity underlined her words, something I knew the boys would not pick up on. I chose to ignore it, however, focusing instead on the fact that I was meeting Peter's family, that he had brought me here and, I guess, that despite the events of the morning it made us a couple. A real, proper couple.

"Nathan," Angela turned to her oldest son, "aren't you going to offer your guest a drink?"

* * *

Angela rose from the table, as both boys turned towards her.

"Ma, sit down." Nathan insisted. "We'll take care of those."

"Nonsense," she smiled at them, "no matter how old you are I will always want to look after my boys."

Peter chuckled, stopping as I got up. "Mel sit down."

"Peter's right; you're a guest here."

"It's fine." I kissed Peter's forehead as I gathered up his plate. "I don't mind doing housework. Really."

"I won't work her too hard. She can keep me company." Angela's faux smile managed to trick her sons, but not me. I followed her through to the kitchen, the door shutting just after I heard Nathan's voice.

"She's a keeper Pete."

As the loving mother facade disappeared, I found myself relaxing. Better the devil you know. She let out a long sigh, as she started to run the water and wash the dishes. "It's too late to tell you to stay away from my son, isn't it?"

"Yes." I found myself biting my lip. "Angela, listen. I think I know who Austen is. And I saw it. The future."

"I knew you would. Eventually." She placed a dish on the sideboard, and I passed her another. "What are you going to do?"

"Find Austen."

"With?"

"On my own. I'm not dragging my friends into this."

"Or Peter?"

"Or Peter." I ran a hand through my hair, watching her carefully. "I love your son and..."

"Like you know what love is." She hissed, furiously wiping a plate with the dishcloth. "You're a child, Melinda, and..."

"...and I'm not going to put him or anyone else I love in danger." I finished, choosing to ignore her words.

"Are you going to tell me who Austen is?"

"No." I shook my head. "You won't believe me. But I may need your help. I'm going to stop this future from happening, and I don't think I can do it alone. Not really. I want to know everyone who works for you."

"Why?"

"Because it'll be easier for me to work with people I don't know. And something tells me you wouldn't like me taking all the credit for stopping Austen, would you?" A twinkle came into her eye, and I found myself smiling, despite everything.

I wondered if she could tell I was lying through my teeth.

"Very well. Come to the house tomorrow."

"Thank you. And there's something else you should know."

"What's that?"

"I'm doing this for Peter. I've seen his – our – future, and I don't want to see him go through that."

For the briefest of seconds, I saw the same loving smile she'd bestowed on her sons flicker across her face. Then it was gone, and we did the dishes.

* * *

Early morning New York, and I was standing on top of a tall skyscraper, watching the people below me move to and fro, going to work and starting their day as normal. I fidgeted with the strap of the backpack, which held clothes Becky and Rin had brought for me from the school, as well as files containing information on the people who worked for Angela Petrelli, or whoever ran the messed up corporation I'd found myself tangled in.

Austen really had slid under the radar. Looking through the information I had been given, I'd noticed a star on the profiles of those who had no powers. A star sat beside Austen's name on his file. Richard Cooper. The picture was of a fresh faced Austen with wide eyes and looking like his whole future was ahead of him, eager and young. I wondered when he had developed his powers, when he had decided to take over the world.

I glanced down at the commuters, running through everything in my head. They had no idea how close the world was to tipping over the edge, and I was the one who had to make sure that didn't happen. The serum was my fault, after all.

Bloody hell. That was a scary thought.

The files were separated, and Angela had briefly explained to me the day before that not everyone whose information was contained in these had worked for the company. They were all linked to it in some way, and one of the sections, 'Experiments', had sent cold chills running down my spine.

They had been toying with their own serum almost a decade ago, and the image of three young girls stuck in my head. So alike, so similar that originally I thought they had been the same woman. But no, these girls were triplets.

With one of them, the dream had come flooding back, Rin's list of names of the deaths I had been responsible for.

My mind flittered back to the letter I had left for Becky. I'd gotten out of the house before any of them had woken up, and managed to resist the temptation to go back, to crawl into bed with Peter and forget about Austen. But I'd already started this journey by picking up the files the previous day, and I had to go through with it. The letter told Becky I was OK, asked her not to worry about me and not to come find me, that I'd be back soon enough.

I flicked through the large American map book I'd swiped from Molly's room. She'd left a few map books there, and I'd found this one easily enough. There was a pin over New Orleans, one jammed into Florida and another in New York.

Going to the closest one first made sense.

It was time for me to pay a visit to Tracey Strauss.

* * *

Lucky for me, she was home. She was, however, very suspicious when she opened the door. I could feel ice forming over my fingertips, enough to tell me that her power, although similar to Rin's, differed slightly.

"Miss Strauss?"

"Who are you?"

"A friend."

"What do you want?"

"Just to talk. Please." I jammed my foot in at the bottom of the door as she went to close it.

"Talk about what?"

"Your power. What you can do."

She peered from the gap in the door, still weary and afraid.

I lifted my hand, showing her the flames on my fingertips. "Please?"

She stepped back, pulling the door open and in I stepped into the beautifully decorated apartment.

"Where you from?" She asked, as I glanced around the apartment, spotting a photo of a younger looking Tracey in a cap and gown.

"England." I muttered, as she gestured towards the sofa.

"Long way to come just to talk to me."

"It's a long story." I tried to smile as she stared at me, eyes narrowed and thoughtful.

"Drink?"

"Please."

She moved into the next room, and I could hear her clattering around. When she returned, it was with two tumblers, full of what, at first, looked like clear liquid. She handed one to me, and I took a sip.

"Vodka tonic?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I felt the burning alcohol on my tongue.

"You look old enough." She sat on the coffee table, facing me as she sipped at her own drink. "I swear I'm going mad."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because I saw fire come from your hands and because twice now someone has called me Nikki."

"I never called you Nikki."

"No, but something tells me you know more about it than I do."

I nodded, reaching forward and moving a coaster close to me. I placed the tumbler down, before rummaging in my bag. "You're not going mad. You're right, and I know who Nikki is." I gazed up at her as I pulled one of the files from my bag. "You can freeze things, can't you?"

"How did you..."

"I can absorb abilities. I felt yours when I came in."

_Experiment #203: Tracey Strauss. Ability: Unknown. Monitored for signs. _

Signs that so far, none of them had picked up on. I gave her a quick smile before opening the file. "Tracey, I need you to listen carefully. The reason people keep calling you Nikki is because you are one of three...you're a triplet, Tracey..."

* * *

Once I'd finished telling her what I knew about her and her sisters, I noticed the tumbler in her hand had turned to ice. She stared at the wall above me, thoughtful and pensive.

"So you're going to find them, Barbara and Nikki?"

"Yes." I nodded. "I think they can help me with Austen."

She'd refused my offer to look in the file. Her eyes fell on it now, staring at it with slight shock. "I'll help you find them, my...my sisters." She stumbled over the new word, before taking a deep breath. "But then I need your help."

"Anything."

"I want to find them, the people who did this, and find out why they gave me this...this curse."

I nodded slowly. "Like I said Tracey, anything."


	22. Chapter 21

On the plane to New Orleans, we were both nervous. Our own reasons kept us locked up in our individual minds, silent as the plane moved. One down, two more to go. Something told me I needed all three sisters on my side to find Austen. For some reason, I had a gut instinct they had more to do with this than Angela Petrelli knew.

"Do you have any siblings?" She asked, after a long period of silence.

"No." I glanced at her. "I...my parents died when I was a toddler. I grew up in an Orphanage."

She nodded, biting her lip. "Alright. So how would you feel if you found out you had sisters? Or brothers? If you found out you could do what you can do because of an experiment?"

"I don't know."

I'd checked, by God I had checked. I hadn't looked through all the files but I knew almost every single face in the 'Experiments' file by heart. I'd looked through it terrified that my face would be staring up at me, or the face of someone I knew. With every flick of the page I'd been scared I'd see Rin or Becky, would find out Eddy's fiery personality was the result of an injection, would discover Sam could fly because of some experiment. Even worse was the dread that I would discover Peter wasn't that similar to me, that he hadn't been born with it.

"But can you understand, why I need to find them?"

"Yes." I fixed my gaze out of the window, staring at the clouds, at the mysterious floating white fluffy things that as I kid I thought were dead sheep. Before I found out Santa wasn't real and magic didn't exist, I thought the sky was sheep-heaven. "I'd want to do the same. If I thought I had family out there."

I'd long ago let go of the dream of some rich uncle or aunt coming to rescue me from the orphanage. If there were any blood ties out there, they didn't care about me. So I didn't care about them.

But if I thought that they didn't realise I existed...

"I don't know whether to be angry or upset."

"You can be both." I mused. "It doesn't really have to be an either/or choice."

"Because feelings are complicated, right?"

"Yeah."

"It's kind of ironic." She muttered, leaning back in her seat. "They called me the Ice Queen. Now look what I can do."

"It could also be your superhero alias." I joked, glad to see a small amount of light come into her eyes.

"Yeah. Do you think the other two have any kids?"

"I don't know."

"That would be even weirder; to find out I have nephews' or nieces."

I nodded in agreement as we touched down. It didn't take us long to get out of the airport, and we jumped into the first cab we could find. I gave the address, and leant back, watching the city go past. Considering the floods had practically ripped the place apart, it looked to be on the mend. There were a fair few building sites, and I saw a large amount of scaffolding, building homes for those who no longer had any.

Tracey was shaking like a leaf by the time we got to the door of the small house. I knocked, glancing over my shoulder at her. Her back was to the door, her head bowed, obviously scared of what we were going to see. It wasn't Nikki who answered the door, however.

A young girl stared at me with a pout, her black hair tied back from her face, hazel eyes burning with suspicion and curiosity as she looked at me.

"Yes?"

I opened my mouth, to ask if Nikki was there, but was saved from having to say anything as the girl's eyes widened and she stared in shock at Tracey. I glanced over my shoulder to see that Tracey had turned around, and was looking at the girl with a neutral expression.

"Who are you?" She gasped, taking a step back.

"Friends." I muttered. "Can we speak to Nikki?"

"I..." She shook her head. "What's going on?"

"Please. It's important."

She frowned, eyes falling to me. "You can try. I doubt she'll respond though."

"What do you mean?" Tracey asked, worry in her voice as she took a step forward.

"Micah would freak out if he saw you." The girl muttered, running a hand through her hair.

"Who's Micah?" Tracey glanced around nervously as the girl stepped back, allowing us in the house.

"How much do you know about Nikki?"

I glanced at Tracey, deciding she had more right than me to answer the girl's questions. "Nothing. Well, I know she is my sister." She explained, as we were led up the stairs.

"Micah is Nikki's son, my cousin. His dad died a while back." Her eyes lingered on Tracey, a frown on her face. "He's a sweet kid."

"Her son?" Tracey froze on the stairs, her hand clutching the banister. "I have a nephew?"

I glanced at her – there was so much for her to take in, too much for her to discover and I knew it couldn't be good to have too much of it thrown at her at one time. Not like this, anyway. There was way too much we didn't know. I focused my gaze on the girl, who shot me a curious glance when she realised I was staring at her.

"Monica, right?" I frowned, digesting the new information I had gathered. "Copycat? How does that work?"

"How did you..."

"I'm sorry." I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. "There was too much information I didn't know."

"Did you read my mind?"

"Yes." And with it, I'd seen Tracey – no, not Tracey, her sister, identical to the woman standing beside me. I wondered how Tracey would be able to cope with the information I now already knew.

"I..." She frowned, crossing her arms across her chest. "I watch something and I can do it. Cooking, acrobats, fighting...I've done quite a bit with it." She finished weakly, as I gave a quick nod.

"That's pretty sweet you know. Thanks."

"For what?"

"She absorbs abilities." Tracey cut in. "So now she can do it too."

"Oh." Monica nodded, and I realised it wasn't only Tracey who had to take in a lot of information. The girl was struggling to hold it all in.

"Please, can we see my sister?"

"Sure."

We continued the trek upstairs, stopping outside a dark mahogany door. Monica took a deep breath before opening the door, and I heard Tracey gasp as she saw the sight I had already braced myself for.

Nikki lay under the flowery covers, blonde hair cut short and falling across the pillows. Tracey stepped forward slowly, as Monica crossed towards the bed and picked up a glass of water from the bedside cabinet. Nikki's face was criss-crossed with scars, charred flesh covering her right cheek. I could tell how, beneath the blanket, her frame was frail and thin. Tracey shuddered beside me.

"Aunt Nikki?" Monica asked softly, sitting gently on the side of the bed and holding the glass of water to the lips of the woman. Her eyes flickered open, as I took note of the machines surrounding the bed, measuring the heartbeat, a drip connected to her arm. "You have some visitors."

Her eyes seem to roam around for a few seconds before settling on us. They widen when she sees Tracey, and the Ice Queen, as some call her, melts. I remain in the background, a silent observer as Tracey steps forward and takes the hand of the woman.

"Hey sis." Tears spring up in her eyes, and I'm sure that if it wasn't for the scaring and burns around her mouth, down her throat, Nikki would smile.

I glance over my shoulder, something drawing me to look into the mirror. What I see makes me gasp. My reflection shows me in my natural appearance, and unlike me it smiles, a cruel twisted smile that makes my blood run cold.

The gasp draws the attention of the other women in the room, and I force myself to look away from the mirror. I glance at Nikki, who looks almost desperate to speak.

An idea forms in my head, and I slide forward.

"Hey Nikki." I mutter. "I've got an idea – I can read minds. Would it be OK if I maybe go into yours? I can tell them anything you want them to know."

A sparkle lights up her eyes and I take it to mean yes. My mind flashes to the Metallica song 'One', to the haunting words that always linger in my head for days after I've listened to the song. It's not the song itself that creeps me out; it's the speech of a desperate man searching for a way to end his pain.

I make a silent prayer I won't find anything similar in Nikki's brain, and without another word I take her hand and focus.

* * *

Screaming, and pain, and panic and searing, scorching heat. It takes me ages to realise the screams aren't just inside Nikki's head. Tracey's hands grab onto my shoulders and yank me backwards, as she calls my name over and over again. I struggle in her grip until I realise where we are, and then I relax. Monica stands just in front of me and my eyes fall on the mirror, to my right.

I scream again – my face is burnt and charred, like Nikki's. My eyes are dull and I don't know who is looking back at me but it's not me, that's not Melinda. I turn away and bury my head in Tracey's chest. Monica is asking, in the background, what's wrong. I don't answer.

"Welcome to my world kid."

The voice startles us all, and I jump away from Tracey and face her sister instead. Something has happened. The burns and scars have faded, mostly, though a line still runs down her left cheek.

"Nikki?" Monica's voice is quiet and scared, and I don't blame her.

"'Fraid not kid." She pulls the drips and wires off her, throwing them to one side as she stretches her long legs off the side of the bed and stands up. "Name's Jessica."

"Nikki's other half, so to speak." I mutter, rubbing the back of my head. "Shit. I let you out, didn't I?"

"Yep. Nikki had me all locked up. You opened that door for me."

"So, are you going to help us?"

"That depends." Her eyes fall on Monica, who stares at her with a mix of shock and horror. "Where's Micah?"

"At school."

"I've seen you with him." Jessica speaks slowly, carefully, thinking over each word before she says it. "You really like him, don't you?"

"He's my cousin." Monica replies, glancing towards me. "Of course I do."

"No, there's more to it than that." Jessica shakes her head, her cropped blonde hair falling back into place so easily. "You protect him."

"He's a special kid. A good kid."

"Good." A smile creeps onto her face. "Then I can trust you to look after him while I'm gone?"

"Yes."

"And if something happens," I'm startled at the quick change – her face becomes darker, a shadow falling over it, "you will have me to answer to. Understand?"

"Yes." Monica looks really, truly scared, and I reach out, squeezing her shoulder gently.

"Good. Now that's sorted," her dark gaze flickers to me, "I'll help you. Guess I owe you now."

"Great." I try to force some enthusiasm into my voice, as I glance at Tracey. Like Monica, she looks scared. Jessica, I can tell, is powerful, intimidating, and so different to the woman who was previously stretched out on the bed. Nikki's seen some awful shit, Jessica has done worse. I take my hand from Monica and squeeze Tracey's. "Let's go get the other sister then."

"There's another one?" Jessica asks, eyebrows rising.

"Yep. In Florida."

"Let's go then." She jumps off the bed, and without another word she's pushed past us and left the room. I send one quick glance at Monica before me and Tracey follow, each step heavy and slow.

* * *

Part of me feels scared to look into the mirror, to see the girl who isn't me staring back. Jessica had warned me about that, about how she had been able to trap Nikki when she had 'stuff to do'.

"Why are you telling me this?" I had hissed on the plane, sweeping up my dull blonde hair and tying it with a red band.

"Because I like you. You have spunk." She had laughed then, before sticking in the cheap headphones they'd given us and closing her eyes.

So, basically, I was now scared of my own reflection.

Cupping my hands under the tap, I fill them up with warm water and splash it over my face before lifting my head. OK, good, nothing unusual there, just a girl who looks like she could be Jessica and/or Tracey's sister.

Sweeping a hand through my hair, I chewed on my bottom lip.

Florida.

To most people, it meant sun, sea and sand. Maybe Disney World if you had kids. Which sucks for me, because I've always wanted to go there.

But I can't enjoy anything the sunny state has to offer.

No, I have a job to do.

As I swirl mouthwash around my mouth, my mind wonders to Barbara. Why am I so certain that I need all three sisters to get this done, that I need the triplets to finally rid the world of Austen? I'm certain that when I see him, one of us will die. But still, these gut instincts can only get me so far.

Tracey and Jessica have both asked me what Barbara's power is, and for them I have no answer. The files on all three are limited in the information, only Nikki's had details on her power but these had been cryptic. The last time Angela's team managed to track down Barbara and make notes on any 'power signs' was years ago.

"Mel, are you ready?"

Tracey sounded nervous and eager at the same time, and I knew exactly how she felt. I frowned at the door, realising that the two women in there seemed to have forgotten I wasn't an adult. I was barely eighteen, and as my hands curled around the edge of the sink I realised I'd got myself further into this than I would have liked.

I step out and face the two women. Jessica stands with her back against the wall, arms crossed, impatient to be out of what she called 'this dump'. Tracey smiles gently at me though I can feel the tension in the air. She doesn't know how to act towards Jessica, doesn't know if this woman counts as her sister or not. She seems relieved by my presence in the room and, to make things feel at least a little bit better, I flash them both a huge smile.

"Let's go find your sister then."


	23. Chapter 22

**A/N: Just a quick note to say thank you to the few people who have reviewed. It's not many, but four reviews is better than none. I was kind of losing my interest in this; it's sat on my computer, untouched, for a while now, and it was only when I got that last review in my e-mail that I realised this was something worth carrying on with. It re-sparked my love in Heroes and, although I am way behind on the show, I am going to continue with this and hopefully entertain some more people. So, thank you, and enjoy.**

Having found a map, we realised that Barbara's home was not far from where we were staying. We decided to walk there, and found ourselves walking beside a long, lush beach.

I glanced at the beach, wishing I really could spend the day there. The sea was a deep, dark blue colour, stretching out to the horizon. My eyes followed a few surfers as they scaled the waves, allowing them to bring them back onto the sand. I could just about feel the sand beneath my feet, grains working their ways into my toes...

"How far?" Jessica asked, drawing me out of my thoughts.

I dropped my head to stare at the concrete pavement beneath me. Nope, not sand. And I wouldn't get to enjoy it either, wouldn't get to relax on the only real beach I'd ever seen. "Not far now. I don't think."

When we finally arrived at the address, the three of us stood and stared in shock at the large beach house in front of us. I glanced from Jessica to Tracey, both of whom had different expressions on their faces. Jessica looked slightly angry at being confronted with such a lavish display of luxury, whereas Tracey looked more thoughtful.

"Well," she muttered, "shall we?"

I nodded, and we headed towards the house. Both women seemed nervous and apprehensive, leaving me to knock the door. From inside, we could hear laughter – high and tinkling, obviously a woman. I glanced at Tracey, now taking a deep breath, before my eyes darted to Jessica. Her back was ramrod straight, her face expressionless.

The door opened, and the laughter died as we faced a woman identical to Tracey and Jessica. The only obvious difference was in her hair – whereas Tracey's was long, and Jessica's cropped around her ears, Tracey's fell a few inches below her chin.

I realised that she didn't look surprised, or concerned, or even curious. She glanced at her sisters, before her eyes darted to me as she pulled her satin dressing gown further over her chest. "So they've sent a kid to round us up like cattle, have they?"

"I'm not rounding you up." My eyes remained fixed on her, unable to see the reaction Tracey and Jessica would have to this. "I've come to ask for your help."

"My help?" She crossed her arms, staring hard at me. Her eyes had barely looked at the other women, and I had the feeling she'd been aware of their existence for a long time. "What, on behalf of Angela Petrelli?"

A gasp from Tracey behind me, as I stared hard at Barbara. "I thought you hadn't had contact with them."

She let out a laugh, shaking her head. "Then you don't know much, do you? The 'experiment' files are, I have to admit, a bit out of date."

"You knew about..." I paused, taking a deep breath, "what exactly do you know Barbara?"

A slow smile crept across her face, a smile that immediately made me feel uneasy. It was so much like Austen's smile, that predatory, hunter-like grin. "Why don't you girls come in and we'll talk about it?"

I glanced over my shoulder to see Jessica slide ever so slightly forward. Tracey remained still. I caught the eyes of both of them, and knew instantly that Tracey wanted to get away from here as fast as possible. Her face screamed it, and it was so clear she was thinking it that without any effort I picked up on her thoughts.

Still, we'd come this far.

"Sure." I turned back to Barbara. "Why not?"

Silently we followed her into the house, stepping with great care through the corridor that was sparsely decorated. A large stand and vase sat in the entrance hall, and two paintings hung on the walls. At first glance they looked expensive, but as we passed them and I gazed closer I could see the flaws in them, and a quick dip into Barbara's mind, revealed, through the thoughts right at the top of her head, that the paintings were no more than cheap imitations of their expensive counterparts.

"Jeffery, darling." Barbara's voice took on an altogether more sweet tone as she pushed open the door in front of us and slid into the room. She flashed a smile in the direction of a man who, I saw as I entered, was in his late forties and boarding on being way too overweight. A cigarette dangled from his lips, and his once dark brown hair now contained streaks of grey. "I'm ever so sorry, I'm afraid we're going to have to postpone this meeting."

The man, who had until now been lounging back on a very comfortable looking armchair, lifted himself upright. He bent forward, flicking ash into a nearby saucer. "Really?" He drawled, a clearly Southern accent filling my ears. "Why?"

His eyes shifted from Barbara to me, before they rose over my shoulders to take in Tracey and Jessica standing just behind. His eyes widened, his lips curled backwards.

"You never said there were three of you. I'd pay extra for that you know. Even more if you throw her in."

I remained silent and still, keeping a careful note of my neutral expression. His eyes flickered from one of us to the other, and Tracey's hand fell onto my shoulder. She squeezed it, and I felt Jessica brush against my arm.

"If you think we'd have anything to do with a dirty slime bag like you," she hissed, "then you are very much mistaken."

"Please darling," he stood now, and as he did he stubbed the butt of his cigarette into the ashtray, "you clearly have no idea of your sister's professional life, and I would warn you to keep your mouth in check, unless Babs here wants to lose some very important clients."

The three of us were silent, our gaze fixed now on Barbara. She smiled sweetly at Jeffery, before walking gracefully towards him. My fingers scratched at the back of my neck as Barbara put her hand on his shoulder, leaning forward and whispering into his ear. Moments later he pushed past us, and we heard the front door open and close.

Barbara turned her eyes onto us, narrowed and dark. "I think I had better get dressed. Please, make yourselves at home." Her smooth hand, complete with manicure, gestured towards the sofas, before she strode past us, again with graceful movements.

I looked nervously at Tracey, before dropping into a sofa nearby. The room had plenty of seats to choose from, with two sofas and at least five different types of chairs. Tracey and Jessica sat either side of me, Jessica staring hard at the floor, deep in thought.

Something had upset Jessica about this whole situation, and I realised that behind her eyes there was a fight going on. I leant back on the sofa, closing my eyes so I didn't betray where I was fixing my focus.

An internal fight was taking place between Nikki and Jessica, the latter insisting that her 'double' was too weak to take the reins. Digging a tiny bit further, I realised why Jessica had been so quiet since Jeffery's outburst.

It was hitting a bit too close to home, for her.

I snapped my eyes open and reached forward, picking up a biscuit that sat on the coffee table and dropping it into my mouth.

Our attention was drawn to the door when Barbara returned, now wearing a pair of expensive looking jeans and a dark red blouse. She sat on the armchair opposite us, which Jeffery had previously occupied, and studied us carefully.

"So, what do you want, if it isn't to round us up?"

"Your help." I leant forward, keeping my eyes locked on her. "I think I need the three of you to find a man called Austen."

"And why do you need to find him?"

"Because if we don't," I took a deep breath, realising I hadn't revealed the full extent of Austen's power to Tracey and Jessica, "then we're looking at a very bleak future. If we don't stop Austen now, then we will be persecuted, locked up, tested on like lab rats."

"And you know this....how?" Barbara leant forward, eyes narrowed and face full of suspicion.

"I saw it." I muttered, not wanting to mention Hiro to them. "I went into the future and I saw it."

"You..." Barbara took a deep breath, "you went into the future?"

"Yeah." I leant back, feeling the soft sofa as my back pressed against it. "Yeah, I did. I can absorb abilities. Teleportation through space and time is one of the things I have acquired."

Barbara leant forward, eyes fixed on me as her face scrunched up. "How do you absorb them?"

"How?" I chuckled, as I shrugged. "I don't know. I just do."

"No," fiercely she shook her head, a frown forming on her face, "I mean, do you touch someone? Do you have to do anything to them?"

"Oh, right," I chewed on my bottom lip, scratched at my neck where the brownish birth mark sat, "no, I just have to be near them."

"So, you would have already absorbed my ability?" Barbara asked, head tilted to one side and eyes narrowed. I stared down at my knees, wondering if she could do something I had already absorbed previously. It would explain why I'd felt nothing upon entering.

During this exchange, Jessica and Tracey had reminded silent, listening to our words and following the conversation back and forth like they were at Wimbledon.

"Most likely."

Barbara stared at me, eyes searching for something, though I didn't know what. Suddenly, like a lunging snake she moved forward, her hand locking around my wrist. I cried out at the sudden touch, as an intense shock made my skin itch where she held it.

The shock disappeared, as the room around us seemed to dissolve. Only Barbara's outline remained, hand connected to my arm, as flashes of Peter danced before my eyes, images of the school appearing beside him, the English flag, a cup of proper tea...then Peter again, Peter standing in front of me, smiling gently. Everything normal, fine...

Then, like Barbara's living room, the images dissolved. They were replaced by an older man, arms stretched out wide and a gentle smile on his face. A woman hung onto his arm, and something about them screamed mother, father. My hand reached out towards them, I wanted to leap into the man's arms, but as I glanced to the right of me, I saw Barbara reaching out, too. Our eyes locked, and I had a strange feeling of security, stability. A husband, a home. Children.

Everything flickered, as I felt a pair of hands on my shoulder. Barbara's hand dropped away from my wrist and a bright light flashed, before I found myself standing in the room, Tracey holding me. Standing a few feet away, tears streamed down Barbara's face as Jessica held her tightly, looking scared and worried.

Longing filled my body, longing for what I had seen, and beneath me my legs crumpled. Tracey tried to hold me up but my knees hit the floor, my chest heaving up and down. My cheeks felt wet as I stared at the floor.

"What was that?" I gasped, the soft feel of the carpet on my hands.

"That was..." I lifted my head as Barbara spoke, her body falling back into the chair, exhaustion on her face, "unusual."

"What was it?" I cried, feeling frustrated now at the way she was avoiding my question. The other two stared at each other, confused and lost as I pulled myself upwards and moved forward, staggering and grabbing onto the back of the sofa. "What happened?"

"I can see the desires of people." Barbara explained, lifting her head up so her eyes fixed on mine. "But usually, they can't see it..."

"I saw it." I gasped out. "I saw everything."

"I know." She took a deep breath. "The...the middle image...I don't know if that was from you or me."

"You don't get people seeing yours, then?"

"No." She shook her head, took a deep breath. "That's never happened before."

I nodded, biting on my lip as the feeling came back into my body and my breathing slowed down, becoming normal.

"That's an...intense power."

"The after effects aren't usually this strong." Barbara lifted herself up slightly. "In fact, usually it's a brief, dull headache. Maybe a bit of dizziness if you're holding onto the person too long."

"Right. OK." I closed my eyes, the images flashing before me again. Annoyed at seeing Peter's face, smiling and happy and safe, at seeing something I couldn't go back to, not yet, not until this was over, I quickly opened my eyes. "So, Barbara, are you going to help us?"

She seemed to consider the question, as her hand reached forward and snatched up a packet of cigarettes from the table. Slowly, she withdrew one, pulling it out of the pack and seeming to take her time. It was placed gently between her lips, and from beside where the packet had sat she grabbed a lighter. I watched, I waited as she lit the stick and took a deep breath.

"What do I get?" Her eyes shifted from one woman to the other. "What do we get, for helping you on your little quest?"

"Well," I bit my lip, staring at the floor, "at the moment, I've promised Tracey I'm going to do her a favour when this is over."

"So you'd what, owe me one?"

"If you like." I shrugged, glancing sideways at the first of the triplets I had found. She was staring hard at Barbara, her face a confliction of emotions. She was struggling, I knew, to decide whether she should love this woman because of the blood they shared, or if she could just walk away after.

I knew she'd been thinking the same of Jessica/Nikki. I just wished she could have met the quieter side of her sister, rather than this woman.

Ah, sibling relationships and the complicated problems that came with them.

Whilst Barbara considered whether or not to come with this, I pondered over something that had crossed my mind, not frequently, but sometimes, whilst at the school. A few kids came who had siblings, others came with them, when, like these triplets, they all shared abilities. Of course, other kids there had parents, though some did not know what they could or had disowned their own children over discovering they were 'freaks'. I never knew whether to be jealous or thankful that I never had a family.

"I'll do it." Barbara stubbed out her cigarette and stood up. "But you do owe me one."

"Great." I smiled up at her, before standing up myself and shaking her hand.

So, I had phase one sorted out. Find the triplets. Phase two, actual find Austen, was not going so well.

Tracey, Jessica and myself gathered back at the motel, having arranged to meet Barbara at her house the following day. I took Tracey aside while Jessica was in the shower, and told her I wanted to tell the other two about their original origins the day after.

"I'll tell them," She insisted, and I made no attempt to argue. It was more her right than mine to tell her sisters where their powers came from, to fill them in on the details.

"Of course. I'm going for a walk."

As I went to leave the room, I heard singing coming from the shower. My hand frozen on the door handle, I glanced over at Tracey. She smiled gently at me, rolling her eyes. I laughed quietly, before opening the door and stepping out into the fresh air, 'Don't Stop Me Now' stuck in my head, thanks to Jessica's singing.

Part one of the plan was done. I'd found the sisters. As I strolled along the street, stuck in my own world, I wondered how we were now going to find Austen.

I wished I had an MP3 player with me, at least then I could have some music to go along with my thoughts. As it was, I ended up whistling to myself, the same tune Jessica had been singing. The street was quiet; it wasn't yet tourist season, and not many were out at this time of the night. Although it was getting late, I wasn't yet feeling tired. I knew why, too; I didn't think I could sleep until I at least worked out what we were going to do next.

As much as I hated to admit it to myself, I missed my friends. Rin, Becky, Eddy, Sam....

"Peter?"

"Hey Mel."

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

I staggered backwards, staring at the figure who had just landed in front of me. A hand swept through his hair as he shifted on his feet.

"You really think we wouldn't get Molly to find you?"

"You shouldn't be here!" I couldn't help the cry that came into my voice, the way it rose in pitch as I stared at him. "Seriously Pete, please go home."

"And let you do whatever it is you're doing on your own? No way!"

"You have to!" I couldn't risk it; couldn't risk his life or something happening which would make him hate me...

Unless...

"Mel..."

"And I'm not on my own!"

Unless it was leaving them that started it? What if it was whatever happened when I was away from them, stuff they didn't see that caused them to hate me?

"You can't just disappear and not expect us to follow you!"

"Us?"

"Yeah, you think your friends would just stay behind and let you get killed?"

"What makes you think I'd get killed?"

I could feel my resolve evaporating as I stared at him. He looked tired and weary, like he hadn't slept. The way he was looking at me, I knew they had been worried, and scared, and all because of me.

Giving in, I raced towards him, throwing my arms around his neck and holding him tight. His own arms wrapped around me, burying his head in my hair. "I'm not letting go of you again Mel," He whispered. "Whether you like it or not."

I pulled away from him, staggering backwards. "Where are the others?"

"International Drive," He gave me a wry grin. "They wanted to see it."

"Fair enough," My hands reached up and I scratched at my neck.

"So...what's the plan?"

"You really shouldn't be involved in this, Pete."

"Mel..."

"But...if you insist..." I let out a sigh, my head tipping forward, and filled him in on what I had done since leaving, explaining about the triplets and the need to find Austen, the weird, strange belief that I could only do it with them on board. "We're going to go back to Barbara tomorrow."


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N: Sorry about the long delay in chapters - I've been working on some other stuff at the moment. Also, sorry about the short length of this chapter but I thought putting up a short chapter was better than none. I should have another one up in the next couple of days. Please R & R - I return all reviews! Enjoy.**

I'd made Peter promise to make sure the others stayed behind. I didn't want them involved in this – not right now. It was too dangerous, for all of us, and although I was well aware they could take care of themselves I couldn't afford to worry too much. It would be bad enough with Peter, but I could deal with having one person there.

He didn't tell me how he'd done it, but when he arrived at the motel the next morning, bright and early, he informed me that they would not be joining us.

Jessica leant against the wall, staring hard at Peter as he ran a hand through his hair and I introduced him to the sisters.

"Barbara's the one we're going to see, right?" He asked, focusing his gaze on me instead of the other two.

"Yeah," I nodded, as we slid out of the room and carefully locked the door behind us. With Peter coming along for the ride, I needed to take extra precautions to make sure we weren't spotted by anyone else. The best way to do it, I figured, was to keep my blonde disguise and for Peter to remain invisible.

We got to Barbara's with no trouble along the way, but as we turned up the path and saw the destruction that had taken place, I felt my heart sink.

Jessica and Tracey raced forward as Peter flickered into existence beside me, staring with wide eyes and the house, at the windows that had been smashed in, the ripped curtains, and, from what we could see through the shattered shards of glass clinging to the frame, whole rooms had been turned upside down.

Jessica slammed her shoulder against the door and burst inside as I put on a burst of speed and found myself skidding to a stop just in front of the sisters. Peter appeared beside me, looking around. "Check down here," I told Jessica and Tracey, "We'll look upstairs. Shout if you find her."

They nodded, splitting up, Tracey heading for the kitchen and Jessica dove into the living room. I legged it up the stairs, Peter not far behind me, and threw open the door to the first room I came to.

I could tell that this room had once been beautiful. A large four-poster bed looked like it'd been ripped apart by a monster, and a wardrobe lay across the floor, the wood broken, bent upwards along the back. A wall-length mirror had been smashed, and two halves of a vanity desk bent towards each other.

Going through the door, I noticed the bathroom was just as bad as the rest of the house, if not worse. Taking a step in, I heard grass crunch beneath my feet and quickly stepped back. Peter appeared in the doorway to the bedroom, shaking his head.

"She's not around."

"We need to find her," I whirled towards him, striding towards the door and back down the stairs. "Have a look around; see if you can find a map book."

* * *

Minutes later and I was sitting on the sofa, a map book on my lap and a photo of Barbara in front of me. I stared at it, focusing, remembering Molly telling me how her 'gift' worked. A warm feeling washed over me, to be replaced moments later by numbing coldness. My vision went back as my hand flicked through the book, until suddenly the room swam back into view and my finger was pointing at a spot on a page.

Taking a deep breath, I looked around at the others. "That's where she is, I think."

Peter took the book from me, chewing his bottom lip as he stared at the map. "Looks like we're going to Vegas."

* * *

We took off almost straight away. Peter and I took Tracey and Jessica to the airport, before finding somewhere secluded we could fly from. We needed to remain hidden, undercover, and I didn't want Angela or her goons seeing that her son was now with me on this mission. What we were flying into was reckless, dangerous, and she'd assume....

Well, the worst, I guess.

We didn't leave word with the others, though Peter wanted to. It was at my insistence that we just went; I had no desire for them to follow us. If I'd had my way, Peter wouldn't be coming either. But he was part of this now, as much as I was or Tracey or Jessica or Barbara.

Barbara...

As we flew, I prayed to God that she was OK. If something had happened to her because of us, because of _me, _the guilt would be enough to kill me.

As far as I was aware, she wasn't in hospital, and she wasn't dead. She had been kidnapped, and I wondered how they could have got as far as Vegas in the short time between us visiting her and returning today.

"How far we got?" I asked Peter, glancing down and letting out a whistle as I spotted land through the clouds.

"Fair while, another couple of hours. But we'll be there ahead of the other two."

I nodded, and as one we put on a burst of speed.

Despite the seriousness of the situation we were in, I found myself enjoying the flight. It was exuberating, having the wind flow through every part of your body. This was freedom, completely and utterly, something you couldn't find anywhere else. As a kid, at the orphanage, I used to have dreams of flying, of bending my knees on the ground and pushing up. The weightlessness I felt in those dreams filled me with joy, and the first time I flew for real...

Well, I didn't have the hang of it and barely made it a few feet of the ground before tumbling back down and smacking my back against the grass outside the school.

But I'd learnt. Before long, I felt that joy for real and sometimes found myself flying alongside hawks and eagles above the English countryside.

Now, above the United States of America, I glanced over towards Peter, who had a look of pure concentration on his face as he glanced, every now and then, down towards the ground.

"Pete," I called above the wind, turning my head slightly to avoid the large intake of air I would have taken by speaking into the wind. "You ever, like, flown for fun?"

"What, for no reason?" He yelled back, coming to a stop and hovering in the air. I had to turn my body and float back to him, knowing instantly he was trying to work out where we were.

"Uh huh. Like, just kicked off and enjoyed it. Rather than, you know, racing off somewhere to save me or whoever."

I can see him thinking about it, as he scans the ground below us. A frown causes creases to appear around his eyes and he crosses his arms. "You know what...I feel like I haven't stopped trying to save people since I found out I could fly."

"So you've never had time to just..." I threw my arms out, trying to think of the words to describe what I meant. As I did so, I pushed the top part of my body backwards to do a back-flip in the air. "Have fun? Explore the sky, sort of?"

The laugh made me smile as he looked at me. "Nah."

"That sucks," A thought comes to me then as I stare at him, and I push my body forward, colliding into him and locking my lips on his. His arms wrap around me, pulling me close, and I smile as we kiss, tongues weaving their way through our lips to explore our mouths.

We broke apart and I grinned at him. "Thought you deserved a little fun," He chuckled, eyes sparkling. "C'mon, we'd better shoot."

With a nod, he took off, and I followed, close at his heels.


	25. Chapter 24

**A/N: Another short-ish chapter, I'm afraid. It'll be my last update for a while; I have a lot of stuff on right now with exams coming up and stuff, so I'm going to be mega-busy. Please R & R though. Like it? Don't like it? Why/why not? I'm open to everything (except flames; please make criticism constructive). And I do return all reviews! So yeah, would love to know what you think. Here's Chapter Twenty-Four of Dark Storms, Volume One: Edge of the Knife.**

My feet hit the ground with a soft thud, and I had never felt so relieved to feel it there, solid beneath me. Shaking with exhaustion, I felt my body give way and I fell backwards. Peter caught me, holding me in his arms, his handsome face swimming above me.

"Mel?"

Slowly, he helped me stand and I lowered myself onto the grass, sitting down as I breathed slowly. In through my nose, out through my mouth.

"Never flown so far," I explained, rubbing my face. "Bloody hell, I'm tired."

"Wait here," He muttered, before disappearing. I frowned at the spot he had been previously, knowing he hadn't just turned invisible. He'd rushed off somewhere, and I found myself curious as to where he'd gone.

I lay down on the grass, staring up at the sky. We were in a town, somewhere, not Las Vegas, not yet. Up in the air I'd started to feel faint, and quickly the pair of us had darted back to the ground.

So much for my love of flying.

Still, nothing could beat that first burst when you got in the air. It was worth it, kind of, this ache all over my body.

Peter appeared beside me and fell to the ground, handing me a bottle of water as he did so. I drank it greedily, his eyes watching me as it dripped around my mouth. It tasted like pure heaven to me, and when I finished I placed the bottle carefully beside me.

"How are you feeling?"

"A bit better," I wiped the water from around my mouth with the back of my sleeve, turning to look at Peter. "We got much further to go?"

"No," He shook his head. "Not too far, anyway."

"OK, good. So once we get there..."

"We check into the hotel, start looking, see if we can find her. Then wait for Tracey and Jessica."

"Yep," He pulls me to my feet, and we take off once more.

The Las Vegas strip looks beautiful. To me, at this precise moment in time, it does anyway. I can't help it; after miles and miles of nothing but desert, my heart soars at the sight of the tacky casinos and hotels. Ahead, I can see a Pyramid rising up above neon lights and glaring signs. Every little thing seems to be sending an attack on the senses, and I pause to admire the view as the weird smell of heat fills my nostrils.

"How are we going to do this?" I ask, glancing towards Peter, who stares down at the strip with a look of disgust on his face.

Up here, the air is cold, but I have no doubt that as soon as we get close it'll start to heat up.

"We need to go somewhere...quiet," I continued, eyes scanning the ground and looking for somewhere.

"If we land in the desert and just walk in..." He flew down slightly, so his head hovered just below my knees. "Someone will notice. They're bound to."

I dived down, trying to get a closer look. "What if we land around the back of a hotel, or something? Ruffle up our clothes a bit," I gave him a wink, "people won't ask questions."

He chuckled, giving a nod. "It's worth a shot. Let's go."

Surprisingly, it worked. We got mixed reactions from people when we appeared from behind one of the hotels, Peter's hair a complete mess, his shirt half-tucked into his trousers. His arm was looped easily around my shoulders, and he kissed the top of my forehead as we stepped onto the busy street.

"Right, the hotel," I pulled out the small sheet that had the details of the hotel Jessica had booked us all into. "Let's go."

It didn't take us too long to find the hotel, and we checked in with a few curious glances from other guests and staff members, before making our way to the room. It was amazing, a large double bed taking up the middle of the room with an extravagant decor. A door led through to the en-suite bathroom, and a wardrobe took up almost half the wall, enough space to put all of my clothes in times two.

Not that we'd brought luggage with us.

Peter gazed around, mouth open slightly before he glanced at me. "Mel,"

"Yeah?"

"She's booked us into the Honeymoon suite."

Returning after our search, I fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling, eyelids heavy and my body aching with tiredness. Peter sat on the single chair in the room, staring at me as he shook his head.

"I am shattered," I muttered, rolling over onto my side and closing my eyes. "Like proper, never want to move, knackered."

He let out a sigh. "We need to keep looking Mel. We were supposed to get as much ground covered as possible before Tracey and Jessica turned up."

"I don't wanna!" I moaned, pulling a pillow to cover my head. I didn't know if it was the tiredness, or the fact that this was the first time I'd actually stopped for the day, but it seemed like everything hit me at once.

What the bloody hell were we doing?

By going to Barbara, by following some stupid hunch of mine, I'd put her in danger. Now I didn't even know if she was safe or not. But someone had kidnapped her, someone had ruined her home, and I'd taken her sisters plus Peter along for the ride. Why was I so certain they'd be able to help me find Austen? It was stupid of me, and I was risking their lives. I should have done this alone. I should have just tried to find him on my own.

Or left the whole thing alone.

I should have gone back home, to the school, taken my friends with me. They would have been safe there.

Before I even realised what was going on, Peter had climbed into the bed beside me and pulled me out from under the pillow, propping me up beside him. I was sobbing on his shoulder, my body shaking as I silently wished I'd never come to this country, never met Peter or Angela or Mohinder or Matt or Molly.

As their names popped into my head, I began to cry harder. Their lives were ruined. All of ours were. Things would never, could never go back to how they were before, and all because they'd taken me into their lives.

Peter was trying to comfort me, although without knowing the reason for my sudden breakdown, there was clearly very little he could say. Eventually, he remained silent, a still statue holding me while the tears streamed down my face and my eyes grew more and more soar.

It was only when I heard a familiar 'pop' that I stopped. Sniffing, I lifted my head up to see Hiro standing in front of us, frowning with the samurai sword over his back.

"Melinda. You should not have run away!"

"Hiro?" I gasped. "How the hell did you find us?"

"Molly," His frown turned into a grin as Peter's eyebrow shot up, staring at the Japanese man. "She told me you were here. I come to help. We defeat evil man now, yes?"

I couldn't help it; with Hiro's sudden arrival, it was like something had broken through the curtain of tears. I burst out laughing, both of them looking at me, confused. I saw them share a worried glance before I clambered out of the bed and threw my arms around Hiro.

"Yes Hiro," I nodded as I pulled away. "We'll defeat him."


	26. Chapter 25

Early the next morning, I was sparring with Peter and Hiro on a secluded little beach. Jessica and Tracey were trying to gather information on Austen, based on what few facts I had been able to give them.

I spun around, sending a soft fireball towards Hiro to my right, before leaping into the air and kicking Peter backwards. Hiro dodged the ball, but it gave me a few moments to land, sprint towards him and trip him up. He laughed as I helped him to his feet, brushing down his trousers. We swapped around then; me and Hiro versus Peter.

It flew by quickly, until the afternoon hit us. The three of us were panting heavily as I gazed up at the sun. "We should get back to the others," I ran a hand through my short spiky hair. Hiro nodded, placing his hands on our shoulders, and seconds later I felt the same sickening feeling that I still hadn't got used to.

We met the girls at the apartment, where Jessica held up a sheet covered in notes. "I used a contact to try to find Austen. Managed to blackmail one guy into giving me his whereabouts."

"Seriously?" I couldn't help but laugh. We were so close. "Good, we'll find Austen, get Barbara, kick his arse and then..."

"Then I'm taking you home," Peter's arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me into him as he kissed my neck. "We should get you back to the school."

Part of me didn't even want to think about that, how likely was it that I'd see Peter or Hiro or any of my other friends after I went home? Still, we had more important things to think about right now.

"I will be back, soon," Hiro announced, before disappearing with a pop. I stared at the space he had been standing mere seconds ago, as my hand reached up and held onto Peter's wrist.

"So where's Austen?" I asked, focusing my attention on Jessica.

"Not too far, actually," She bit down on her lip. "Mel, he's been following you."

I nodded, not really surprised. "And hiding it well."

"Yeah."

"We're close, aren't we?" Tracey asked, lifting her head to stare at me. "I mean, this is something big, isn't it? We might not come out alive."

"We can't think like that, not now," I insisted, stepping forward. Something had struck me as I saw the way Jessica and Tracy were looking at me. I'd brought them into this, I'd led them this whole way and that wasn't going to stop now, it couldn't. "We're good fighters, all of us. We have a strong chance with this. If something happens..." I took a deep breath. "Then we make sure we take Austen down with us. We fight. For family, for friends, for everyone we've ever known."

I heard a soft clap behind me, and when I turned around it was to see Hiro standing there, with Becky, Rin, Sam and Eddy around him. It was Rin who was clapping, a small smile on her face.

"We're stronger when we work together," Eddy announced, lifting his chin up and echoing words that Dr Dust had told us during our time at the school. "Teams always work better than individuals Mel; you forgot that."

I flashed him a quick grin. "No, I didn't Ed. I just found more members for our team."

"We can do this," Sam ran a hand through his hair. "You're right, Mel. If we go down, we go down fighting."

"Right," I nodded, stepping back so that I could see everyone. They were watching me, looking to me for guidance. It suddenly entered my head that, with the exception of Becky, I was the youngest here. Weird the way things work out. "So here's the plan."

_Sam, can you hear me?_

_Loud and clear. Thought we were going to use nicknames?_

_Fine. _Out loud, I groaned, rubbing my forehead as I glanced at Eddy and Rin. "You were right," I told them. "He's insisting on the names." _Sparrow, are you and Bullet ready?_

_Hell yeah Rainbow._

_Good. _I opened my eyes, looking at the building in front of us. Downtown in some random town, the name of which I wasn't quite sure of, and we were about to burst into an old office block. Austen, I knew, was waiting for me in there. But he thought I'd have brought a small group with me, at least I hoped so. Walkie talkies were too dangerous; so, me and Peter were using our own special communication, thanks to Parkman and Dr Dust.

_I'll be back in a second, _I told Sam, closing my eyes once more. _Need to check in with the others._ Taking a deep breath, I adjusted my concentration. _Are you guys ready?_

_As we'll ever be, _Peter's voice filled my head, and I let out a sigh of relief. _Are you OK?_

_Fine. Wait for the signal, shouldn't be much longer. _I looked towards Eddy and Rin. "Sam, Becky, Peter and Hiro are ready. Need to check in with the sisters."

"Go for it," Eddy crackled his knuckles, as Rin stared straight ahead.

_Tracey, you hear me?_

_Got you Mel, _I could almost feel her fear through her voice; just about picture her off to the left of the building somewhere, trembling with anticipation. _Three minutes after the first signal, right?_

_Yeah. OK, that's great. Cheers. You know what to do if something goes wrong._

_Yeah, Jess has got it covered._

"Eddy," I glanced at my friend. "Go."

With a serious, solemn look on his face, he lifted his palms towards the sky. I could almost see the heat building up in them, before a ball of glowing red fire formed. He pulled his arms back, before pushing them forward, sending the fireball into the sky, the three of us watching it as it reached high enough for the rest to see. To my right, Rin was already getting ready to put it out. A stream of ice flowed from her hands, connecting with the ball and putting it out, droplets of water falling down in front of us.

"It's on," Eddy proclaimed, the three of us racing forward, towards the front of the building.

We crashed in, still keeping up a good pace. I was holding myself back, not wanting to shoot ahead and leave the pair of them behind. We sprinted past the old reception area, entering a long corridor.

"Here we go!" Eddy laughed, as a few men dressed in dark clothes, carrying guns, stepped out of rooms in front of us. I knew the laughter was the result of the same feeling flooding through me. Adrenaline kept our reflexes quick as they began to shoot.

Fire sparked in Eddy's hands, warming the guns and causing the men to swear and drop them. Rin focused on the floor around us, icing it up so that the men slipped on it, careful to keep a small path clear for us. Shoots rang around us, but before each one could hit I'd managed to stop them in mid air with fire or ice. Eddy and Rin were the offensive; I was the defence, main goal was to protect those two.

A few of the men had scattered, retreating down the corridor, talking quickly into walkie talkies or yelling that we were demons, not humans.

"Nah mate," Eddy called after a retreating back, "we're fucking EAs!" As he cried the last bit, fire flew from his hands, knocking the guy in the back and sending him sprawling. Two remained now, shaking as they pinned themselves against the wall, avoiding the icy patches.

"Right," I glanced from one to the other, with Eddy to my right and Rin to my left. "Where's Austen?"

"We're not telling you bitch," One hissed, and I saw fear flicker into the eyes of the other. Eddy shot fire into the one who'd spoken, causing him to scream out in pain.

"You!" I rounded on the other. "Where is he?"

"Top floor," He muttered, shaking as he spoke.

"Does he know we're here?"

"He will," His eyes flickered to Rin and Eddy. "By now. He didn't expect you to bring others. But he'll know about them now."

"Good, thanks for the info mate. Knock them out guys."

Rin and Eddy knocked them unconscious as I focused on connecting with the others. _You need to knock them all out. If they get back to Austen, they'll tell him you guys are here._

_Got it Rainbow, _Sam's reply came back straight away, Tracey a few minutes later and, finally, Peter.

"Right," I flashed my friends a quick grin. "We're heading upstairs. The rest should be getting into the building soon. Let's go."

Nodding, we took off again, encountering only a few more drones. We managed to get rid of them easily enough before finding the stairs and leaping our way upwards. We reached the fourth floor, panting heavily as we got into the corridor.

Tracey and Jessica were occupied with fighting a few guys. Two of them were frozen solid, mouths open and eyes wide. Eddy stepped forward, knocking the rest out and giving the girls a curt nod when they turned around.

"Top floor, c'mon," I muttered, turning and going once more to the stairs.

We were close, and suddenly I felt very, very scared.


	27. Chapter 26

"Oh shit," I threw myself to the floor, dodging the volley of bullets that came towards us. Jessica cried out as Tracey fell, a bullet in her leg. The blonde woman glanced at us, eyes wide and scared. "Get her into one of the rooms!" I yelled, palms against the floor. Pushing myself up, I managed to knock one of the guys out with a well placed fireball.

Eddy and Rin had ducked into one of the rooms, appearing every couple of seconds to aim towards the men. There were too many of them, and we were already one person down. Panic flared up in me as a bullet pierced my shoulder, sending me stumbling backwards before I turned and helped Jessica half-carry her sister into the room with Eddy and Rin.

I leant against the wall; hand over my wound as I waited for it to heal. My eyes were fixed on the blonde sisters as Rin knelt down beside Tracey, using a torn off strip from Eddy's t-shirt to create a makeshift bandage.

"She can't fight," Rin announced, looking towards me. "And we can't move her, not right now."

"Fine, Jessica..."

The woman held up a gun. "I'll stay; make sure those bastards don't get her like they got Barbara."

"Good. Thank you. Rin, Eddy, let's move."

They nodded, Rin standing up before they followed me into the hallway. The guy who had shot me stared at the part of my shoulder now revealed through the t-shirt I was wearing.

"The hell!" He cried, aiming the gun again. Two fireballs hit him at once, one from me and one from Eddy. We started fighting the others, Eddy and Rin ducking into rooms once more to keep themselves shielded, whilst I focused on dodging the bullets. A few got me, though I refused to stop fighting.

We had to wait for Hiro and Peter, we couldn't leave the corridor.

Or rather...

One of us couldn't.

"Eddy, Rin," I cried, quickly icing part of the floor under the men's feet. A few of them jumped forward, avoiding it, though it brought us a few seconds. "Get up. Find Sparrow and Bullet. They might need your help."

Rin stared at me as if I was crazy.

"Mel you can't..."

"Watch me!"

Eddy, on the other hand, had more sense. He grabbed Rin and started pulling her towards the stairs. As they retreated, I threw up a wall of ice, knowing it would only be a minute or so before it melted. Still, I needed a breather, and going back into that room might draw them after me, bring them in to where Jessica and Tracey were.

"Right you bastards," I whispered under my breath, eyes watching as the top of the wall started to melt, water rolling down onto the floor. I stretched my arms in front of me, feeling the heat spreading through. "Get ready."

I blasted the wall, running forward as I did so. The guys stared at me in shock for a few seconds as I appeared in the middle of them, before they turned their guns on me. I, however, was too quick. Suddenly the guns were flying across the floor, away from them. I grabbed one by the scruff of the neck, slamming my hand into his gut and hearing his cry as it burnt.

I whirled around, ducking to avoid a punch, before tripping another one up.

A pop behind me, and suddenly blood sprayed all over me. I turned to see Hiro standing there, having just sliced a guy with his sword. Peter was beside him, throwing punches and kicks at another guy.

"'Bout time," I panted, backing up so the three of us formed a triangle, proceeding to knock the rest out. Well, we were meant to just knock them out. But the way the guy downstairs had called us demons, the looks these men bestowed on us...they filled me with rage. A few died by my hands, more by Hiro's and Peter's.

Finally, we three were the only ones left alive or conscious in the corridor.

"Where are the others?" Hiro asked, looking at me as he took a deep breath.

"Jessica and Tracey are in there," I gestured towards the one room they were hiding it. "Eddy and Rin...I sent them up to meet Sam and Eddy," I ran a hand through my cropped hair, finding myself grabbing Peter's hand and squeezing it. "Tracey got shot, in her leg. Jessica is watching over her."

"So we're two down," Peter summarised, glancing at Hiro. "You find out where Austen is?"

"Top floor. We should go get the others then head up there."

"Got it," Peter nodded, before the three of us headed back towards the stairs. As I followed them, I focused on Jessica and Tracey's location.

_How are you guys?_

_Fine, _Jessica's voice came back within seconds. _She's losing a lot of blood though. Kill that bastard for me, will you?_

"Hiro," I stopped, looking at the man. "Can you get Tracey to a hospital? Then come back and meet us?"

"Of course," He put his hands together, giving me a quick bow before he popped away. We waited on the stairwell, as I mentally informed Jessica of what was going on. As we waited, we heard a door open somewhere above us. Peter grabbed me, pulling me back against a wall.

I heard a high pitched whistle.

"Sam," I whispered, rolling my eyes. _Down a few flights, Sparrow._

We were shortly joined by Rin, Eddy, Sam and Becky. Becky hugged me tightly, and I noticed all of them looked worse for wear. Sam had a few bruises on his face; Becky's arms were covered in dark patches. Both Rin and Eddy bore similar signs of battle.

"We got rid of the guns quite quickly," Becky told me. "Hand to hand combat. They're all knocked out."

I nodded, glancing towards Peter. None of them had killed; none of them had the same dark look in their eyes that the rest of us now shared.

Light footsteps danced up the stairs, and I turned to see Jessica appear, fury and anger written on her face.

"Come on," She pulled the gun from her jeans. "Hiro said he'd find us later. Let's go kick this guy's arse."

"Right, we all know the plan, yeah?" I glanced around at the group, watching as they all nodded. "Good," I sprinted up the stairs, Becky shooting ahead of me, just about. Me, her and Peter burst onto the top floor first, facing another group of men in black. They turned around and faced us, and I realised quickly that something was wrong when I saw the way the first guy stared at us. "Shit. Becky, tell the others these guys are EAs," I spoke quickly before throwing up a wall of ice once more, watching as the guy who'd spotted us first started to glow.

Down the corridor, past the men, was a large door, the words 'Executive Office' written in gold lettering on the front.

We were joined moments later by the others, who stared at the wall before looking at me.

"You ready for this?"

With a pop, Hiro was beside me. "She's fine," He told Jessica. "Doctors are looking after her now."

"Good," She cracked her knuckles. "Ready as we'll ever be, I think."

"Great, then let's do this. Eddy, if you will."

The redhead fired at the wall. Around the blast, the ice quickly melted, forming a sort of ice archway. I bounded forward, Peter beside me, the pair of us firing blasts towards the men. The others filtered in behind us, using their own abilities and skills to fight.

Seeing a gap in the men, I ran forward, pushing through them and knocking two out in the process. It seemed that the main bulk of the men, the majority of which had some sort of power, were hiding in rooms or around the corner. Each time one was knocked down, another appeared.

The glowing guy was firing bolts of lightning towards my friends, though I knew the plan and had to stick to it. I'd have to trust them to protect themselves.

Suddenly, everything seemed to freeze. I turned to see Peter and Hiro both concentrating, focusing on keeping time still.

"Go," Hiro ordered, and I gave them a curt nod in thanks.

"Mel!" Peter cried, as I got to the door. I turned to face him. "I love you."

"Nice timing," I yelled back, putting my hand on the doorknob. Still, despite the crucial moment, the fighting we had been through, seen, and everything that was happening right now...I smiled. "I love you too, Pete."

That said, I turned the knob and stepped into a room that was pitch black.


	28. Chapter 27

"Bugger," I whispered, glancing around. Not that there was any point in looking – the room was shrouded in darkness, and I was unable to see even my hand when I lifted it in front of my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward. "Austin!" I called, tongue licking my lips. God they were dry. Added to that, my chest felt tight. "I know you're around here somewhere, you bastard."

No reply.

Not that I was surprised.

Why hadn't I brought any of the others with me? At least then I wouldn't be alone.

I raised my hands, focusing on pushing heat into them. Seconds later and my hands were turned into my own personal torches. Grinning to myself, I wondered why I hadn't thought of that earlier. Pushing my palms out, I sent two small fireballs into the centre of the room. They hung in the air for a few seconds, and I took a quick glance around the room.

Instantly I knew something was wrong. This room was way too big for the building we were in, for the floor we were on. It was empty, just a huge white space. Not a spot of colour, or even black, was in this room. The walls, floor and ceiling were all white. My eyes started to ache from the brightness of it, and I felt thankful when the fire disappeared, leaving me once again in darkness.

I closed my eyes, focusing, knowing that if I used the fire again it would just make my eyes hurt even more.

So it was plan b.

Night-time vision.

I opened my eyes and smiled to myself. I could see, just about, and this time, the whiteness wasn't overbearing. Everything was dulled, more of a grey now.

I walked forward, towards the other end of the room, and reached a hand out, touching the wall.

It dissolved under my touch.

Swearing under my breath, I whirled around.

The door was gone.

"AUSTIN!"

I roared his name, anger bubbling up inside of me. He was playing with me, a cat with a freaking mouse.

"Fine!" I cried, turning around in a circle as the room began to disappear, replaced by nothingness. "You want to do this, Austen? You going to trap me in some freaky dream world? If you're trying to break me, it won't work!"

I wouldn't let it work.

I thought of my friends, of Peter and Hiro, Becky and Rin. Eddie, Sam, Matt, Molly, Mohinder...

All those people who were counting on me.

My greatest strength.

I exploded.

I allowed the fire to consume me, to fill every part of my body, of my being. I let it spring forth from every inch of me and take me over. Closing my eyes, I felt the heat.

_Get out. _I sent the message out. _All of you, get the hell out._

_Don't do anything stupid! _Peter's voice filled my head, and from somewhere in the distance I heard him repeating my words, telling the others to run. Blinding red and white filled my vision when I opened my eyes; fire surrounded me, reaching out from where I stood to engulf anything and everything in my path. I knew he was here somewhere, he had to be.

"STOP IT!"

His voice rang out from a point just beyond the fire, and I grinned to myself as I heard him scream. Suddenly, the darkness was gone and I was standing in a small office space, windows behind me and the door right in front. Austin cowered in one corner as the flames receded, returning to my body. Streams of water came from my fingertips, drenching the rest of the fire. Panting, I turned to Austin. He was clutching his arm, tears of pain streaming down his face.

"Face it Austin," I growled, moving slowly towards him, "it's over."

"No," He lifted his head, grimacing through the pain he was clearly feeling. "No, Melinda. You really think I would have been that stupid?"

"What do you mean?"

I could feel sweat dripping down my neck as I realised he was smiling. His eyes were ablaze, shining and wide.

"My _associate_, while you were trying to track me down," he chuckled, "she was working, very hard, Melinda. _She has the formula._"

"Then we'll find her, whoever she is."

"If your friends still trust you," his smile widened. "You see...she's now outside, telling them about how you were working for me all along."

"They won't believe her."

I could feel my blood running cold, could feel my heart thumping wildly against my ribcage as he shook his head. "Poor, stupid girl. You should know you can't change the future."

I pushed my palms towards him as he laughed, sending two large fireballs his way. He winked, before diving out of the way. The fire smacked into the wall as I began to run towards the door, eager to get out of there and find the others before his associate, whoever she was, could convince my friends I was working for him.

All I could hear in my head as I broke into the corridor, as I whirled around and sent streams of fire back into the room, was Rin's voice in my head.

_It's her fault they're dead._

Screw it, I thought. I was going to torch the place.

Fire sprung at my heels as I ran, speeding past confused henchmen as I made my way to the other side of the building. Moments later and I heard it; shouts and screams behind me as the fire began to grow and expand. I didn't stop running until I was in another office, the large windows looking out onto the street below. Even then I didn't allow myself to slow down.

I crashed through the glass, ignoring the searing pain as the glass cut my skin. Bugger it; it'd heal. In the air I whirled around, focusing every part of my being into sending fire back towards the building.

Watching, I hovered backwards as the flames exploded, as the building started to crumple. Satisfied that it was taken care of, I turned and began to dive towards the ground, focusing on finding Peter and the others.

It didn't take me long; within a few minutes I was a couple of blocks away from the building, heading towards them. Peter looked towards me as I landed, my knees crumpling beneath me. Panting, I only registered one thing before I blacked out.

Barbara was standing with her sisters.

I pulled the blanket over me through instinct. Still half asleep, I rolled over, eyes snapping open when I noticed I was in a bed. Rin and Becky stood in my line of sight, Rin against the wall with her arms crossed, Becky right beside my bed, a look of confusion on her pretty face.

"How long have I been out?"

"Hours," Becky mumbled, turning away from me. "We...we didn't know what else to do so we...we brought you here."

"Where are we?" I asked, realising how achy my body was. I still felt exhausted, drained.

"Barbara's," Rin replied, voice curt and cold.

"Barbara's?" I gasped, sitting up and looking around. "She's OK? She's alive?"

"No thanks to you."

My eyes snapped to the door as Barbara stepped in, arms crossed and her eyes narrowed.

"And you can drop the act. They know."

"Know what?" I replied, climbing out of the bed. The carpet was soft on my bare feet, soft and warm. For a second, I relished the feeling.

"Stop it!" Rin cried, and when I glanced at her it was to see her fists clenched and her eyes wide, anger and fury and sadness filling them. "Just stop it Mel! We know you were a bigger part of this than you ever told us! We _know _you were working for him!"

"Working for..." I shook my head, rubbing a hand on my temple. "Rin, what are you on about?"

"Your little fireworks show was just that, wasn't it Mel?" Barbara hissed, and I found myself cringing at the venom in her voice. "You put us all in danger."

"No!" I cried, realising with a startling clarity that this was what Austin had been on about. My friends had been fed lies, lies that they believed. "No, I wasn't working for him...I tried to stop you guys coming! I didn't want you there!"

"In case we blew your cover," Becky's voice was quiet, trembling, and I suddenly saw the same girl I'd seen in my vision of the future. "It wasn't to keep us safe. Just...please, Mel. Stop lying to us."

"I'm not lying!"

"We'd appreciate it if you just left, Mel." Rin placed a hand on Becky's shoulder, squeezing it.

"Left?" I shook my head. "Rin, how long have you known me? You know I wouldn't turn against you guys!"

"We have no idea what happened to you after you were taken," Rin drawled, glancing towards Barbara.

"We think it's safer if you leave," Barbara stepped further into the room, away from the door, the implication clear; that I should move past her and just go. "I know that Austen had men who could do...do terrible things to your mind. You've been brainwashed Mel, and you don't even realise it!"

"NO!" Shaking my head, I turned back to my friends. "Becky, Rin! Please...you've got to believe me...where's Peter? He was in the cell next to me!"

"He's not around," Barbara replied. "None of the boys could bear to see you. You really hurt him."

"I..." I started stammering, nothing else to say. It was clear they wouldn't believe me, no matter what I said. But there was one person I could go to. "Fine!" I cried, trying to force back the tears welling up in my eyes. "But I'll prove you wrong! I wasn't working for Austin; I wasn't working for anyone when I came to find your sisters. I guess...I'll see you around?" I looked at the two girls who had been closer to sisters to me than friends, the girls I had grown up with. I was hoping for a goodbye, at least.

None of them spoke.

I gave a curt nod before focusing on my destination and just disappearing.

On my own, standing on top of the Hollywood sign looking out over the bright lights I broke down. I knew I'd been lucky; I wasn't used to this power, and I could have ended up dropping into the sea or lost somewhere in the desert. But no, I'd hit the mark and landed at the only place I could think of.

My legs fell and I sat on top of the giant Y, eyes gazing out at a world that was going about its business as usual. Had Austin died in the fire? Had I really stopped him?

Judging from the way my friends were now treating me, I was scared that I hadn't fixed things; what if I had only made things worse? Would I wake up tomorrow in a completely different world?

No. The world had already changed; _my _world had already changed. My friends hated me. Peter couldn't even stand to see me. And there was, right then, nothing I could do about it.

"You're wrong."

I jumped up at the voice, whirling around to see Matt and Hiro standing on the W, staring hard at me.

"If you're here to kill me, just get it over with."

"As if we could," Matt scoffed, shaking his head as he glanced over towards shining lights. "There is something you can do about it Mel, you can fight like you have been since the start."

"We do not believe Barbara," Hiro spoke slowly, his hand on the sheath of his samurai sword.

"You may have a block around your mind," Matt chuckled. "But I can still read Barbara's mind. The others though...something happened in that building. Something we don't know about. I don't think I can convince them."

"You think they were brainwashed somehow?"

"It would make sense," Matt nodded. "But we've got to stay away from them, Mel. We can't risk anything right now."

"We need to talk to Angela Petrelli."

"Peter's mom?" Matt asked, frowning as he stared at me. "Why?"

"Long story. How did you guys find me anyway?"

Matt grinned. "Molly."

I found myself smiling back. I still had allies, friends who were willing to work with me, who were going to help me through this. A plan started to form in my head as I looked towards the lights of Hollywood. If only the world was ready for us, I thought, we could have had our own film.

"Hiro...think you can teleport us to England?"

Hiro frowned, shaking his head. "I do not know. I might miss; we may end up in Shakespearean England or something."

"Well," I took a deep breath. "Everything we do from now on is going to be a risk, right? Why not start here?"

I stepped forward, grabbed a hold of their shoulders and focused.

END VOLUME ONE


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